Nyx Eros: Heart Strings
by Pierrot's Vault
Summary: They make mistake after mistake, but it's fine. Because in a world where all the myths and legends are coming true, we can always re-write the stories we've been told. [Next Chapter is UP]
1. Close to You

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter One: Close to You

* * *

Secrets.

Everyone in the world has one. Or two. Or more. A wise friend once told me that secrets are the reason why there's a lot of misery in this world, it just creates bad people and causes bad situations. So I wondered why, if it caused a lot more trouble than it was worth, did anyone still have them. Then I realized that more often than not, what we keep hidden are the shameful, terrible parts of ourselves. And wouldn't you do everything you could so that it stays a secret?

Not exactly the usual musings of an average highschool girl is it?

I'm just deep like that, probably why I don't have a lot of girl friends. Most girls in my school only think of one thing, or rather one person, anyway: Uchiha Sasuke. And why wouldn't they, God's gift to womankind that he was? In a school like ours, a breeding ground for the future shapers and movers of our country, reputation is everything; and Sasuke had it in spades. He's the heir to the massive and powerful Uchiha Conglomerate, a worldwide business that dealt with weapons and medical facilities. Sasuke is always the perfect student, the perfect athlete, and the perfect son… The fact that he's the most gorgeous thing to walk God's green earth must've been an added bonus.

I could just imagine him walking by and the Carpenter's song "Close to You" would play in the background complete with girls comically swooning and fainting everywhere. I mentioned this to Sasuke-kun once, and he gave me a death glare that was as full of ill-will as the one he gave me when I broke his blue Crayola nine years ago.

Sasuke-kun never was the happiest camper.

He and I, along with Naruto, have been friends since the first grade. Many a fangirl would kill to be in my 'position'. Actually, I've had death threats jammed in my locker through the years. When the threats proved to be ineffective, the name calling came. 'Forehead girl' and 'Pinky' are my two favourites, unimaginative though they may be. I mean my wide forehead and pink hair are the two things you would immediately notice about me. I'm not saying they didn't hurt. Name calling can hurt a six year old girl something awful. A sixteen year old though… well, it still stings.

What would Sasuke-kun's secret be? If everyone has one, what would he be hiding behind those dark, dark eyes? He never shows much of what goes on in his head, not even to me or Naruto, his so-called bestfriend. Or maybe I can't read people all that well. Naruto is an open book; he's about as predictable as ramen. But I know that there are still things that he keeps from me that I know nothing about.

And my secret? Well, one of them is the Beech tree I'm leaning on, planted somewhere near the edge of the campus ground. Climbing trees had always come easy for me as a child. I can beat Naruto and Sasuke-kun any day, something that no doubt bruises their male ego. My tree (yes, I've grown so fond that I've proclaimed ownership) towered over the others nearby with twisted and gnarled branches that I could easily lounge on. It reminded me of a wizened old man with orange-ish hair, a bent back, and supporting cane. I love this tree for the solitude it gives me… not to mention the awesome view I have of Sasuke-kun as he practiced his lay-ups and rebounds in his not-so- secluded court.

I guess this would be one of Sasuke-kun's secrets.

Well, not _so _secret. I can see Naruto there, running laps around the court. And obviously Sasuke knows that I know about this place since he told me to meet them there when I was ready to go. There's an Uchiha for you, he _told _me to meet them. Always has to have things done according to his schedule. I don't blame him though, it's not like he has a say on how he spends most of his time.

I suppose I've kept them waiting long enough. I shimmy my way down my tree and I realize that something is bothering me even before my feet touch solid ground. I look down to my shoes, surrounded by dry grass and leaves trying to figure out what it is.

My shadow seems to have all but disappeared.

It sounds weird I know, I mean the sun hasn't decided to stop shining and the sky is just as bright. Yet everything seems darker, sadder somehow… And there I go again, looking for hidden meanings in even the smallest things. The only thing that's weird here is that the weatherman said that it would be sunny today.

I can hear Naruto greet me even before I enter the basketball court.

"Sakura-chan! What took you so long?"

I greet him with a smile that I hope is as wide as the one he gave me.

"Sorry Naruto. I had to work for an hour at the diner; otherwise the old man wouldn't let me take the whole day off today. I hope I haven't kept you and Sasuke-kun waiting too long."

Like I said. Secrets.

* * *

"I think we need to celebrate!"

And we do. It's not every day that basketball scouts from Tokyo's premier university approach you for a scholarship. Naruto, more than usual, is a ball of boundless energy. A scholarship would mean that Iruka-san wouldn't have to work as hard to get Naruto to graduate. The boy may be carefree most of the time, but his foster father's sacrifices weren't invisible to him. So yes, he had a reason to be bouncing all over the place.

Sasuke-kun, though offered the same scholarship, stayed put. Not that I'd ever expect him to run around or show _any _sign of happiness. Having money and the needed grades to qualify, a scholarship would be moot.

"What do you think we're doing here?" Sasuke-kun asks me as he sits beside me on the bench, one arm innocently propped behind my back. He's not even doing it on purpose and yet I could feel my face heating up.

"Stealing rides from little children?" I ask Sasuke-kun innocently.

He was not amused. As expected. But it took a lot to amuse the great Uchiha Sasuke. Before he can call me 'annoying' again, I add, "Oh lighten up Sasuke-kun, just be happy for him. Your bestfriend remember?" I lean in, hoping he won't mind, just so I can feel more of his warmth. He doesn't, but I feel him stiffen for just a second. Ouch.

So I focus on the scene in front of me. We're in a small amusement park by the bay and it is sunset. Little kids and their parents keep running around, to this ride and the next. But if I close my eyes, I could drown them out just enough so I can hear the gulls cawing and the breaking of the waves on the stony shore. If I could just drown out Naruto's incessant calling of my name, it would almost feel like Sasuke-kun and I were on a date. But alas.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Leave the bastard and ride the ferriswheel with me."

"Be right there Naruto!" I turn to look at Sasuke-kun, seemingly bored but for once, at peace. Being the next Uchiha heir is much more gruelling than people think it is. Aside from school, there's training in management, meeting with partners and what not. I don't even know how Sasuke-kun managed to counter today's almighty schedule. But for Naruto, I knew he would. I almost felt bad for asking him to come along.

We reach Naruto, who was waiting around the ferriswheel with a pink, heart-shaped balloon in hand. "Here Sakura-chan!" He gives it to me and I'm reminded of a time nine years ago, when we all first met at this very park. It seems kind of symbolic of something, an end of an era if you will. It almost makes me teary eyed.

"Let's just ride the ferriswheel, shall we?" Sasuke-kun glances at his watch, a signal that our time is almost up.

"What, does the itty-bitty bastard have to go home 'cause mommy's calling?"

"Shut-up moron, we're just the same height. If anyone here is vertically challenged, Sakura's shorter than us by a foot."

"Hey, no! No one say anything because I can still box both your ears!"

And we're still at it even as we reach the very top of the ferriswheel.

Until we stop, because the view is just awesome. The sky had turned a deep red orange, with hints of violets and blues at the top. From afar, we can see the city's tall skyscrapers, already lit, and their reflection glittering on Tokyo Bay.

Today is a good day, I tell myself, no matter how much my gut feelings tell me otherwise.

* * *

I am unbelievably tired, my head slumps against Naruto' shoulder and it's all I can do to keep my eyes open. It doesn't help that the air conditioning in Sasuke's car is always set to frigid. The cold makes me sleepy and he knows that. Wave after wave, the light of the cars from the opposite lane passes us by. So does the glare from the streetlights.

"This was fun, ne?" I can't believe Naruto still has any energy.

"Yeah…" I'm too tired to even form sentences. I look over to Sasuke-kun, mute and focused on driving. For a short instance, our eyes meet through the rear view mirror, and all I can see are his onyx eyes.

Damn, I hate it when Sasuke-kun's eyes are described as onyx, as if there isn't any other word for them, because they are so much more than that. They're blacker than the night sky and sharper than steel; one well-placed look could cut you to pieces. For someone as emotionally constipated as Sasuke-kun, they're his most expressive (_only _expressive) features. These are words that can be usually found inside a fangirl's love letter, and we could mince words for hours, but it can't change the fact that I'm drowning in his eyes now.

Have you guessed another of my not-so-secret secrets?

I'm in love with one of my best friends.

"Sleep, Sakura." He tells me, again like a command. I chuckle because, well, how just like Sasuke-kun. So in a fit of rebellion, I straighten up and lean against the window. Besides, I can already see my dorm, no use in sleeping anymore.

"Thanks for today you two; I haven't had a break in a long while." God knows how much of an understatement that was.

"No problem Sakura-chan, it wouldn't be a celebration without the three of us together." Naruto gives me one of his bear hugs, all-encompassing and all warmth. I look to Sasuke-kun but I'd be dreaming to expect anything similar from him. So I smile and he smirks at me.

He tells me to hurry inside. "You'll catch a cold."

"Goodnight guys, go straight home," I tease. I don't wait for them to reply; I just open the car door and bolt to my room, in case I get caught by the impending rain.

This is the end of a great day, right?

As I open the door to my room, I am just in time to hear the phone ring. Then the weird feeling comes back full force, getting stronger with each shrill ring. I don't bother turning on the lights and just settle for feeling my way through the walls.

"Hello?"

It's then that the rain decides to fall.

And if I indulge myself and look for a meaning to this, it's that the skies are crying for me. Because nothing in my life stays the same after this.

* * *

A/N: First of all, no, I don't own Naruto.

I'm not sure if any of you knows that I've posted this story before, under a different name, and well, everything's different really. I just kept the name and overall plot. So, if any of you has somehow, miraculously, read Nyx Eros before, I am thankful and I apologize.

I have taken down the previous story. Insert sad face here. Just to make things clear, I am the SAME author.

Anyway, did anyone get the tree climbing part? Just like in the canon, where Sakura excels at the tree climbing exercise because she has perfect chakra control. Fun.

Oh, and I am looking for a beta reader, interested anyone?


	2. Precious People

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Two: Precious People

* * *

Rest is for the weak.

Sigh.

It's the one phrase that otou-san lives by. Power is not merely given; it is strived for— fought for. You can _work hard _for it, sure, but it takes excellence to keep it. Pause for a moment and the whole world will have passed you by. Or so otou-san likes to say.

I'm not delusional, I can see the way my father grips his position in the world like it was the string that engages his parachute. It's his lifeline. Ka-chan is a bit more sympathetic. She knew what she was getting into, marrying the man who would one day be the head of the Uchiha clan. And if the way otou-san is shepherding me into the family business is any indication, I'm pretty certain that _his_ father must've done the same. Meaning otou-san didn't wake up one morning and say, "I think I'm going to take over the world today," – the world of business that is.

But the man knows what he's doing. The Uchiha Conglomerate is the best of the best in the world. Currently, we are equipping the country's whole army and every prefecture is serviced by one of our premier hospitals. Outside, our influence is enough to cause changes in the stock markets. It would be _arrogant_ to even apply humility at this point. Otou-san may be a bit of a slave driver but the results show. And wasn't it Machiavelli who suggested that "the end justified the means"?

That is why, even at two hours before midnight, I am in my room and up to my eyeballs in accounting books. Otou-san has been teaching me how to handle and trace the company finance, something that even ka-chan recommends. Another lesson necessary for the Uchiha heir.

I wonder if this is what Itachi would have been doing, had he still been here.

It would be seven years now that aniki is gone. Dead if you're being nit-picky. It was supposed to be a routine meeting with a business partner in Hokkaido, but then, a snowstorm hit as he was flying back and the company jet never made it. There are times when I still can't believe it, since there wasn't even a body to bury; just an awkward funeral and an empty coffin.

I was eight.

The last time Itachi and I were together, the day before he left, he took me to the amusement park. I remember being, first of all, curious. Itachi was always busy, where'd he get the time? What did it matter though? In the end, I was ecstatic… Now I wonder if Itachi somehow knew that it would be our last time together.

I snort because I don't think I'm remembering aniki very well if I think he'd be that sentimental (in any way at all).

I put away the accounting books for a while and look at the picture frame on my desk. It's a picture of that day. We had just gotten off the rollercoaster— me, carried on Itachi's back and looking a bit green and he, looking as smug as ever. Bastard.

Next to that is a smaller picture frame made of sleek chrome (Sakura _tried_ to give me this in a frame with plastic cherry blossoms on the edges). It was of Naruto, Sakura, and me in the school's annual sports fair. The moron and I had just gotten into a fight because I beat him on a one-on-one basketball competition. We couldn't even stop glaring at each other for the picture; much less actually be bothered to pose for it. But Sakura, in the middle, smiling and with both arms slung on our necks, held us in place.

"Sakura, always the mediator."

I must've spaced out because I don't even hear ka-chan enter the room. She's wearing a long black gown and smelling faintly of lilacs and champagne, the party downstairs must've just ended.

Ka-chan takes one look at both pictures and smiles like she knows something I don't. In the same way that I could never really read Itachi's mind, ka-chan's thoughts are just as mysterious.

"You know Sasuke-chan," my eyes twitch, _Sasuke-chan? _"It's been so long since you've brought Naruto and Sakura-chan here."

"You know otou-san doesn't like Naruto (understatement of the year) and Sakura doesn't like it here." It's true; whenever the moron drags her here she's too scared to move, like she'd break something by just breathing. As opposed to Naruto who _will_ break at least one thing before he leaves.

Ka-chan laughs, "Still, it is never a bad thing to surround yourself with those who are precious to you Sasuke."

I look at the pictures on my desk one last time before I turn my attention back to the accounting books. "Hn. Itachi never surrounded himself with _precious people_."

"You're wrong." Ka-chan ruffles my hair, just like she used to when I was younger. "Maybe you never saw it because _you _were Itachi's precious person."

* * *

My conversation with ka-chan last night unnerved me. Since a year after Itachi died, I made it a point to cram all thoughts of Itachi inside an imaginary box labelled 'Here be dragons'. For me, there were— _are, _still too many unanswered questions. I didn't want to acknowledge that I barely knew who my brother was.

"_Surround yourself with precious people foolish little brother."_

Itachi's last words to me, how could ka-chan have known? Of all of his cryptic shit… Anyway, it is too early in the morning to be thinking about this. So I relax in my desk beside the window, waiting for either the dobe or Sakura to enter the classroom.

The three of us met at the very same amusement park. I wonder why so many things happen at the stupid place, Tokyo isn't _that _small. People would call it serendipity but that's just too fucking cliché.

My bodyguards decided to be especially incompetent that day, so where would any six year old go if he was left to his own devices? I was watching a magic show when Naruto bumped into me, literally, pink balloon in hand. Behind him I could see an old man with more balloons tied to his wrist, running and shouting curses about rascals and thieves. It wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"_Watch it you moron!"_

"_Shhhh! You shut up! We gotta get away."_

And just like that, I found myself being dragged by Naruto to a playground in the secluded part of the park. We stood under a cement dome and from where we were I could see another kid playing in the sandbox alone— a girl with pink hair. I looked back to the dobe only to see that he was blushing like a schoolgirl. He took one gulp, like he was trying to steel himself, and approached the girl.

"_H-hey. I'm Naruto, what's your name?"_

_The girl looks too scandalized to move but responds anyway, "Hi Naruto, I'm Sakura."_

_I watch the blonde boy give the girl the balloon, and she's so happy it's like she just received an early Christmas present. All this trouble for a girl. Tch._

_I have to admit though; I've never seen anyone smile so wholeheartedly. It seems almost worth it._

_The rain starts to pour before I have the chance to leave. I panic because the two are running back to the dome and I can't leave of course, ka-chan will be mad if I come home wet and muddy. And it's only too soon until I'm face to face with the biggest, greenest eyes I have ever seen._

"_He-hello there. Who are you?"_

"_Hn." I don't respond because the girl is blushing. Like a fangirl. Of course, it could be because they ran to get here…I tell myself that I'm speechless not because our faces are inches from each other._

"_Don't bother with him Sakura-chan. He can't talk. His name is bastard by the way."_

"_My name is Sasuke, not bastard. You moron."_

"_And MY name is Naruto, the strongest, most badass kid here in the park! Believe it!"_

_I punch him in the stomach but he manages to get me in the chest. I was going to twist his arm when I feel a hand pull me by the cuff of my shirt._

"_Hey, hey! Stop it you two!"_

_I can see that she's pulled him back the same way she did me. This girl is stronger than she looks. "But- but he started it Sakura-chan!"_

And that moment in the park, sitting inside the dome as we waited out the rain that lazy afternoon, is how my life got a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

"Sasuke-teme! Have you seen Sakura-chan yet?"

I ignore Naruto because it's getting too repetitive. Sakura this, Sakura that. If he thought he was being subtle with the pink, heart-shaped balloon yesterday, then he's a bigger idiot that I thought he was. Then again, Sakura is probably the most naïve girl in the world… Thank goodness.

"Bastard! I'm talking to you!"

"And I heard you. It's lunch time, her biology class is probably just running late." I know what I said, but I can't help but look for a sign of pink in the sea of students anyway— which is proving hard when the whole school has gathered in the cafeteria plaza.

"Hey, you think something's wrong with her?" Naruto sits on top of the picnic table, for once, not thinking of food. "Like she's got a problem she's not telling us?"

I nod, because I know what he means. The shadows under Sakura's eyes yesterday weren't imaginary, and I know Naruto saw them too, obtuse as he is. Normally I'd chalk it up to her crazy, late-night study sessions, but she's started to come late to homeroom as well. It got so bad that Kakashi beat her to class one time.

Is she trying to take on more hours at work again? I ask the dobe, because really, if anyone knows, it's him.

I've never seen Sakura's parents and she never talks about them, just like I never talk about Itachi. The only proof that they ever existed is a picture of the three of them that she hides in her drawer (that the dobe messed around with, I just happened to be in the room). She lives by herself, with an aunt paying for her tuition and living conditions. For everything else though, she's always insisted on paying herself.

This is something I can respect, if Sakura wasn't so damn annoying. Her shift at the diner usually ends at seven, but when she goes for overtime— like she sometimes does without telling us— she ends up going home at midnight. Alone. And it irritates the hell out of me, Naruto too, because Sakura just loses focus of her surroundings when she's tired or thinking too hard. She would walk straight into the outstretched arms of a kidnapper.

And as if just to prove my point, Sakura passes by, holding a tray with absolutely nothing on it. Nothing. Blank. Like she didn't even see us, and she probably didn't. So I reach out and grab her torso, and just maybe she won't hurt anyone in her path.

"Oh, hey Sasuke-kun! Didn't see you there." And she flashes me a mega-watt smile that could probably cure cancer.

See? Annoying.

* * *

A/N:

How long is the usual update time anyway? Insert curious face...

Also, I would really like to know what you guys, you people at the other side of the screen, think about the story so far. You know, so I know what to make better. Kthanksbye.


	3. Where the Shadows Fall

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Three: Where the Shadows Fall

* * *

There has to be an easier way to do this.

Trying to fight my way through gothic lolitas and _ganguros_ isn't how I pictured my night to end. Then again, I don't think anyone pictures their nights to end like I do, unless they live here in Shibuya. And to think I just had an awesome time with the boys.

I get off at Shibuya station, which is already half of tonight's battle. The station is famous for its convoluted passageways and is a trap for any first-time tourist. It's an eye opener too. To my left is a girl (I think) whose outfit just screams 'punk.' She's dressed in a black and red plaid suit and a top hat that's taller than her head. Up ahead is a group of ninja cosplayers, from what anime I don't really know, but they sure are colourful. Come to think of it, my pink hair probably fits right in.

Where secrecy and blending in is the name of the game, you'd think there'd be a better place than here. But, if you're in a place with as _loud _a personality as this, what better place to hide in than in plain sight?

It isn't raining anymore when I get outside, just a slight drizzle. But for vanity's sake I take out my yellow umbrella anyway. I pass by Hachiko's statue and laugh because for some reason, the dog reminds me of Naruto… He and Sasuke-kun would probably freak if they knew where I am!

Shibuya really comes to life at night. I don't even remember how many _izakayas (_Japanese pubs) and nightclubs I've passed already. I can hear the beat of the music waft out as people come in and out of the clubs, and I try to avoid the girls in the skimpy bunny outfits, distributing flyers with fake and tired smiles. It doesn't entice me to go in. All it does is make me more aware of how cold I am— so I hug my coat closer, and the fact that I haven't had dinner yet. Damn, hot _takoyaki_ would taste really good right now.

My stomach growls for the umpteenth time and I swear, someone better be dying.

"_Oi Haruno, you there?" I could hear the lazy drawl clear as day; it can only be Nara Shikamaru._

"_Hey, wazzup my main man?"_

_I hear nothing but silence from the other line. Just withering silence. The laughter escapes me before I can catch it. This is fun; I rarely get Shikamaru off-guard._

"… _Don't ever do that again. Ever."_

"_Yes boss." I fiddle with the telephone line, and suddenly I'm on edge. Shikamaru never calls just to say hi. And this late too... Has something happened to Sarutobi-sama? "So I know you didn't call just to dash my dreams of becoming a rapper Nara. Am I needed?"_

"_Nah. Not tonight anyway." I hear him sigh those sighs of his, really deep like he has a heavy weight in his chest, "But you have a mission. Sarutobi-sama suggests you come early tomorrow or—"_

_I stop him, because I am way too curious not to go tonight. Then maybe the turmoil brewing in the pit of my stomach will disappear. "No, I'll go there now. Get the port I normally use ready." Before Shikamaru can protest, I tell him that I'm not busy anyway. The last thing I need is for him to worry about me when God knows he's got too much to handle already._

And that's how a person ends up walking Shibuya's alleyways at night. Secrets, more and more of them. Just when I thought I'd be walking all night, I reach the abandoned department store. Thank God, because my legs are so tired, I just know they'll be sore in the morning.

I walk right in, careful that no one sees me. But even if they do, it wouldn't be too suspicious to see young girls lurking in dark places. There are names for such… services.

It's dark and dusty inside the arcade, but I'm not afraid. I know this place well, every wall and column, every place where the shadow falls and don't fall. It's so familiar, like the back of my hand that I just reach to my left where I know the lever is. A faint humming resounds from the walls, and now, all I can do is wait.

Mentally, I go through all the possibilities. Reconnaissance? Research? I never get called or alerted so early for these. Not unless they're going to take up a lot of my time. Goodbye social life I guess.

When the humming changes into vibrations, ones that my boot-clad feet can feel from the floor, I know I don't have much time to overthink. I open the large wooden door in front of me, just in time to see the old elevator rise up. The thing looks like one of those steampunk affairs, all steels, all cables, and a lot of flourish. Kind of fits with this crazy place I suppose. As I get on, I make a mental note to have the flickering lights changed.

From the outside, I guess I look like any other sixteen year old whose only worries are boys, exams, and graduating. This isn't how my classmates are going about their nights though, that's for sure. But things aren't always what they seem.

Not only inside these walls… inside my heart and mind, I know that I am burden vowed to serve in ANBU, Regiment Nyx.

* * *

Tobacco. It's the first thing I smell when I enter the Sandaime's office. Oh, I mean _Sarutobi-sama's _office. He dislikes us being so formal as to call him by his title— he'd have us call him _oji-san _or _jiji _(grandpa)if it were possible but it always feels too disrespectful to me.

The office lights are turned off, still, with just the lights coming from outside the window illuminating the man sitting on the leather chair, his favourite pipe in between his lips. "Sarutobi-sama, haven't I told you not to dwell in the dark for too long? It's bad for the health." I don't open the lights though, because I know our eyes are sure to sting because of the sudden change.

Instead, I open the computer on his desk. Underneath the monitor's steady glow, three white folders piled up beside it catch my eyes.

"You didn't have to come so early Sakura-chan." Sarutobi-sama lifted a thin arm to look at his watch and frowned, "Or rather, so late. Really Sakura, how do you expect me to take your health advices when you disregard yours so easily?"

Wow. I actually don't have anything to say to that. When was the last time I slept before ten? Or had a healthy meal on time? Naruto is right, my work ethic_ is _horrendous (not that he actually used that word).

"Hai, hai." I walk around to Sarutobi-sama's leather chair, noting the way his back has stooped with age and the quilted blanket on his lap. Where does this man get the strength to lead a whole organization like ours? "I promise to take better care of myself. But tonight, I just don't feel like I can sleep. Might as well make use of idle time right?"

He chuckles, kind of scratchy and sounding like a cough. It's the same laugh I've been hearing all my life. Contrary to what my two friends know, there is no aunt raising me from afar. No parents either, not for a long time. All I have is the strongest, frail-looking old man who _has_ raised me and all the other kids here in the base who I've grown up with. I'm luckier than most of them actually, because _I_ at least have a life outside of this place.

"You're going to bore a hole through the wall Sakura. What are you thinking of?"

Just that you're probably the only family I have. "Nothing, Sarutobi-sama. Anyway, Shikamaru told me you had a mission for me?"

"Ah yes, back to business for big ol' Sakura-chan?" he hands me the three folders on his desk, and it feels like it weighs a ton. I don't open it yet because… I don't know actually. Would it be crazy if I said I felt scared of knowing?

"Before you open it, I want you to know that I would have asked someone else to do this. But due to the high profile of those involved and your… connections, I must ask you to bear this hardship. I can trust only you Sakura."

I exult in the praises he heaps on me, but I also become very aware of the double-edge in his words. Connections?

But I tell him that I'd still do anything, as I have done countless times before. Because just like the others here, we owe him our lives. And it is exactly that that we are prepared to give.

"The three folders each contain the file of a new recruit. I need you to test them, and I hope that you don't use kid gloves because…"

I don't even hear most of what he says next.

When I open the folders, I see three familiar faces looking up at me.

_Uzumaki Naruto._

_Uchiha Sasuke._

_Yamanaka Ino._

* * *

"Hey there Nara!"

"Get out Haruno, I'm busy."

I ignore him and crash on his couch anyway. I'm beat. I'm tired. I just had my gut metaphorically punched out of me. I have to lie down or else I'm going to faint.

To his credit, Shikamaru didn't try to push me out of his room; he just sat on the floor slaving away in front of his computer. From behind, his head sort of looks like a magical pineapple with streams of light coming out on all sides!

I reach for one of Shikamaru's pillows and use it to muffle a groan and a chuckle. I must be really in shock to make jokes like that. And to laugh at it too.

So I look around in Shikamaru's room just so I can think about something else. It's more of a den really. This is where he sleeps, eats, and bathes. He almost never leaves his sanctuary— his limbs may have already atrophied! Everything he needs is only an arm's reach away: this bed, his computer, and all his files in whatever folder, box, or scroll they're placed in. I would organize this place like I do Sarutobi-sama's office, but I know pineapple head here will just throw a hissy fit.

"Hey Sakura," he says, breaking my reverie, surprised that he actually used my first name. "Just sleep here tonight."

"Aww, is Shikamah lonely?"

"Fine. Don't. You troublesome woman."

Even though I tease him, I appreciate what he's trying to do. He must've known of my mission weeks ago and I remember telling him about Naruto and Sasuke.

I laugh, despite myself. Despite the fact that I might be sleep deprived by now and despite the fact that I am having an incredible craving for strawberry ice cream. Despite the fact that even though I've tried all my life to keep this life and my two precious people apart, they're now hurtling towards each other faster than I can catch up.

Brilliant.

Crying won't help, so I don't. Instead, I focus on the things I _can _do.

"Hey Nara, you need more information on the three new recruits?"

* * *

A/N: Okay, just a little lesson.

Ganguro – they're a sub-culture in Japan. The name, you can literally translate into "black-faced." It's a style that symbolizes the average American teenager, apparently. They bleach their hair, tan their skin, and wear colourful make-up. Interesting, because most people here in Asia actually aspire to have lighter skin.

Shibuya, is just next to Harajuku, which is a wonderful, wonderful place. Seriously. It's home to a lot of sub-cultures you normally associate with Japan, like ganguros (of course), cosplayers, lolitas, and visual kei. Truly, it is something you have to experience to understand. This also branches out to Shibuya.

Hachiko, is a dog. He's extremely popular because of his story, which I suggest you research. The dog even has a movie!

So how's this going, for those of you reading. So I know how to make it better. Thanks.


	4. Listen Closely, Look Closely

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Four: Listen Closely, Look Closely

* * *

I don't gossip.

Though I admit, it's not without benefits. You tend to find out about other people's weaknesses and secrets that way. Like how Zaku has been paying nerds to do his assignments and projects or that the reason Kakashi is always late is because he sneaks off to the local cemetery. I reiterate, I don't gossip— I just can't help it if I overhear certain things. And in a school like Konoha Elite, where people have damn too much time in their hands than they know what to do with, you hear a lot, even in the gym during PE. _Especially _in the gymduring PE.

It's the picking apart which ones are useful information and which are just hot air that takes work.

"_No way. Is this true?"_

"_Yeah, I saw her while I was out with my boyfriend in Shibuya."_

"_Mai, you don't have a boyfriend in Shibuya."_

"_No, she doesn't have a boyfriend, period."_

"_As I was saying… I can't believe she has the gall to hang around Sasuke-kun like this!"_

My throw falters and the dobe catches the ball easily. Damn. So much for dodgeball.

Judging by the still sly look on his face, he didn't hear the three girls by the bleachers. Sigh. Two of the girls I don't recognize, except for the fact that we're in the same year. The blonde with a ponytail and holding her phone as a recorder however, is Yamanaka Ino.

Yamanaka has been in all my classes since my elementary days. That has more to do with money than luck, I always suspected. Unfortunately, it isn't even unheard of that there are parents who pay the school to get their kids in the same classes as mine. I remember she used to give me crude little drawings of her favourite flowers. The fact that I promptly gave those to Sakura may have cost her a friend, but really, what was I going to do with them? And Sakura was much better off without her; one loud blonde tagging along is more than enough.

I see Yamanaka in most of the parties I attend with my family, but that's nothing special. That describes most of the other kids here in KE who are old enough to be 'presented to proper society.' Lately though, I've been catching my parents and hers having brunch in the club. If this isn't even a little indication that otou-san is pushing the girl to my face, I don't know what is.

"Dobe." I lift a hand, signalling him to stop then point at the group of girls.

The moron's eyebrow raises and he looks at me like I'm a deranged maniac. I can almost hear the cogs in his mind turn. "Sasuke-teme, are you looking at girls? Has your hormones finally kicked in?"

I rush to him before the whole school hears him— before the people in _America _hears him. Or worst of all, before the _fangirls_ hear him! With one hand, I cover his mouth while I choke him with the other. "You're a special kind of idiot, you know that?"

"And you're an asshole!" Naruto, I don't know how but he just does, pushes out of my death lock. Just like Sakura, Naruto is stronger than he looks. I've learned a long time ago not to underestimate him.

"Why can't you just say what you want instead of gesturing and shit? We've gone through this bastard, your voice is not made of—!"

"I hate to interrupt what would have probably been an incredibly biased and long-winded speech about how I'm lame and you're so much better than me…" how's that for just saying what I want? "But just listen will you?"

I drag him closer to the girls, something I never thought I'd ever do in my life. The three were huddling closer, looking at a phone someone was holding in the middle of their circle.

Since somehow, they've mentioned me in their conversation, I assume that the _she _they're talking about is Sakura. I look over to the other side of the gym, where she's playing volleyball with a girl who wore her hair in two buns. Tenten was it? They're talking as if they've known each other all their life, but she's never even mentioned her to me and Naruto. Shows just how much I know about one of my _precious people _apparently.

"_See? I know it's dark and all, but there's no mistaking that pink hair."_

Yep, it's definitely Sakura they're talking about.

"Excuse me ladies, but you seem to be talking about my friend." Naruto, who is amazingly sensitive to all things Sakura, has wormed his way to their circle. "Whatcha' looking at there?"

Yamanaka takes one look at Naruto and lashes out at him. "Back-off moron. This is official school newspaper business." She pushes him away and brandishes a pen like it was a knife. Great, two blondes fighting. Just what my day needed.

Before they can continue their cat fight, I decide to step in. Good too because although Naruto would never hit a girl, he's not above shouting at one. Which I don't think I can say for Yamanaka; with her blue eyes focused and that pen of hers, she looks like she aims to injure.

They all shut it when they see me approach. I don't mean to sound like the bogeyman, but everyone here treats me with a kind of wariness reserved for one. Like if they rub me the wrong way, I'd have them shipped to a fucking concentration camp or something. I don't correct them because that's one less idiot to pester me during the day. Just another bonus that comes with having the Uchiha name.

Now if only I can get fangirls to stop following me around…

"Oh Sasuke-kun, we didn't see you there!" One of them immediately moves closer to me, and of course the other follows.

"Hey Sasuke-kun! You look awesome, who styled you?" I'm wearing my PE uniform and the hair is au-natural, thanks.

It's hard to remain impassive when both girls have clung to my arms like Velcro, except they're harder to pull off. One of them has the phone though and I snatch it so that I can finally get this over with, whatever _this _is.

It's just a picture shot in the dark; you have to really focus to see anything. But once you do, it shows a girl with pink hair and a white coat walking arm in arm with a boy with shades and his hair in a ponytail. Sakura might not be the only girl with pink hair out there, but I remember that white coat she stole (_borrowed, _she'd insist) from my closet.

I look at Yamanaka, smirking like she knows she's won a fucking bet even before she's made it.

* * *

You know that shit they pull in movies all the time, where simple conflicts blow out of proportions because everyone refuses to talk to each other and ask questions like normal people would?

I catch Sakura in the library during free period, her nose buried in a novel while she sits near one of the windows. Her hair almost looks white where the sunlight touches. She's always been a… 'deep reader,' like how you can't rouse a deep sleeper from slumber, there's no pulling her from her books. But I know she senses me near anyway; it's a freaky, telepathic talent she has that she knows whenever the dobe and I are nearby.

"Why are you sneaking around Sasuke-kun?" she asks without even looking up.

I take the seat opposite her on the table. "I'm not the only one sneaking around."

Sakura doesn't answer, but I see the way her eyebrows scrunch together. She knows what I'm talking about. Heck it would be hard not to. I can hear everyone whispering around us.

"_Slut."_

"_Why would Sasuke-kun even hang out with her?"_

"_She's probably just using Sasuke-kun, gold digger."_

I wouldn't lie and say that it doesn't bother me, what they're saying. Sakura is… So it annoys me when she doesn't even say a word about all of it. But is it really surprising? Even when we were little, she never said anything about the letters or the name calling. The idiot and I didn't even find out until we caught her crying in the playground where we met.

The fact that most of bullying happened because she was hanging out with me is something I will never forget.

"I know you can hear them Sakura. Say something."

She licks her lips, the way she does when she's thinking about what she would say next. But all she does is close her book and stand up.

"Silly Sasuke-kun, I don't know what you're talking about." And she smiles at me like everything's fucking hunky dory, "Anyways, gotta go to my next class."

I stare at her retreating back and relax my fist that I didn't even realize I had clenched. If there was ever a perfect word to describe Sakura, it was annoying.

What now? I take the book she was reading, a Grimm Brothers' Fairytale Book. Sakura is such a little kid. One of the pages is earmarked on the story of Hansel and Gretel.

'_Gretel began to cry and said, "How are we to get out of the forest now?" But Hansel comforted her and said, "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we will soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.'_

Well, maybe follow the pebbles I will then.

* * *

"Nooooo… Sasuke-teme and I dropped her off at her dorm yesterday. Tell her bastard!"

The two blondes convinced me to let them tag along in the 'quest to find out about Sakura's other life', as Yamanaka puts it. Speaking of _Sakura_, we never even got so much as a bye when school ended. Just a text saying she was working at the diner again and not to pick her up.

"Then she left after you did idiot! And shush!"

"Don't you shush me! I'm the great Naruto, silent as a shadow. Like a ninja, believe it!"

And so we did what any normal people would do (according to Naruto), we followed her.

A large part of me is just… fucking _annoyed_ at the moment. She's probably just working late again and, annoyingly naïve or self-sacrificing— or both, that she is, Sakura just didn't want us to go out in the middle of the night to pick her up. Nothing to it, no hidden agendas. Clean and simple. But instead of going home, I'm here starring in another 'Naruto the Ninja' episode, following Sakura from a block away as she buys grocery and an unbelievable amount of ice cream.

A small part of me though, just can't make heads or tails of that picture.

"Yamanaka, tell us again about that picture."

"Oh Sasuke-kun," she sneaks up beside me, giggles, and tucks a strand of stray hair behind her ear "Just call me Ino. No need to be so formal with me _now_."

I wonder about her emphasis on the word 'now,' but mostly just the fact the she hasn't answered me yet. Probably noticing my continued silence, she continues.

"Well, this morning I heard a rumour going on in your fanclub Sasuke-kun—"

"Of course you would, you're the president!" Naruto, probably curious, moves closer. "What's new?"

"No one is talking to you _baka_! As I was saying, one of the younger girls was saying that Sakura, of all people, was working as a hostess in Shibuya!"

The dobe looked almost apoplectic and I'm not sure I'm hiding my shock very well either. Sakura, a hostess? Yeah sure, and Naruto's a star pupil and I'm secretly a drag queen. Can't get any more random than that.

"I know, I laughed when I heard it too. Sakura doesn't have the right curves, or any for that matter, for those skimpy outfits. So I tracked down who started the rumour and that's how I found the picture. You think it's true?"

"Of course not!" Naruto, ever the hot head, punches the wall beside him. "Like I said, Sasuke and I brought her to her dorm last night. I even looked back to see her go in."

It's all true, I know. Even I looked back through the side mirrors. But Yamanaka— Ino, I mean, is right. She could have easily gone later. "There's still the picture to explain Naruto."

Sakura is leaving the grocery store even before I finish what I'm saying and the three of us immediately hide in an alleyway. I look at her, and I just can't see it. It wouldn't make sense for her to work as a hostess on top of working at the diner. She just doesn't need it.

Whatever the picture means and whoever she was with, it's obviously something she never wanted us, _even us, _to know. What are we even doing here then?

And I could laugh because I sound so petty. It's not like she can't have a life outside of Naruto and I, but all of ka-chan's talk about precious people has made me… think. We've stuck with each other ever since the three of us met. The dobe forced and dragged the three of us together at first and Sakura would keep Naruto and me from killing each other.

Looking back, I know that the two of them has always been the glue.

Looking back, I can also remember two small hands clasped in mine, the only source of warmth in a room full of people crying and wearing black.

"So what do we do now Sasuke?"

Naruto's eyes bore into mine, as does Ino's. I look at Sakura's retreating back.

Sigh. "What else? Let's go and make sure she's not doing something stupid."

* * *

A/N:

Okay, long note coming up. I've actually finished four chapters already before I posted the first chapter here in FFNet. I told myself, I'll take it slow, see what kind of reception the story gets and post once a week. My plan didn't exactly pan out because I just got too excited. Insert awkward laugh face. So instead of refreshing the page and monitoring the traffic graph and every review, follow, and fave, I post now the fourth chapter. So I can finally go back to my writing.

Buri-hime: Thanks for enjoying! I try. Here's another Sasuke chapter for you!

sakura-chan-girl101: Oh don't worry, I have my plans for those two.


	5. This Hide and Seek We Play

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Five: This Hide and Seek We Play

* * *

You know that heaviness in your chest? The way your hands are just cold, clammy, and trembling? And oh, that paranoid fear, fear of exactly what— well only you know. For now.

Say hello to guilt.

Sigh. I hate the waiting almost as much as I hate the guilt. And then I hate what comes after the waiting even more. Damn I just hate everything about this plan.

"Just keep going Haruno," Shikamaru tells me through my ear piece, as if sensing my thoughts. "Just get to the factory, they're still behind you."

I can't believe they actually followed me all the way to Shibuya, even more so that they didn't lose me in the crowd. I'll admit this wasn't my best, laid out plan. It _was_ just conceived a night ago. So many things rely on chance and opportunities. Like that girl Mai, one of Sasuke-kun's fangirls. Thank _Kami_ she was in Shibuya when I was that night. I just had to make sure she saw me and let the gossip mill churn out the rest.

But seriously though, a _hostess? _Couldn't I have just had a secret boyfriend or something? Thanks highschool drama.

And so here we are, playing cats and mouse. They're not as inconspicuous as they think they are. If it was just Sasuke-kun, I probably wouldn't have noticed for a while. That boy is a master escapist, most of the time from his bodyguards. The two blondes however, are a whole different matter. Naruto, he's like a brother, but he's an idiot for tripping all over the place. And Ino-pig hasn't shut up the whole time… Hah, Ino-pig.

As I arrive, I appreciate the choice of the factory complex as the location for today's 'activities.' It's not a just a whole abandoned building by the river; it's like a network leading to different places, one of which is Regiment Nyx Base actually. It's easy to get lost here if you're not paying attention.

"Team Blossom of Youth," snicker, "Team Blossom of Youth do you copy?"

"… Yes."

"Mou, why did we even agree to this name?"

"Because youth is the ultimate advantage one can have Tenten-san!"

"I am not Tenten! I am the Iron Lady!"

I listen to them bicker about why we even assigned code names if we weren't going to use them. They remind me a lot of, well, Naruto, Sasuke, and I. There's Neji-san, the quiet, cool, and reserved team leader whose monosyllabic replies in this conversation reminds me of Sasuke-kun. There's Lee-san, a vibrant, energetic (read weird) guy who is always lightening the mood, much like Naruto. And there's Tenten, the only girl (and the only voice of reason) in a group of testosterone-filled boys.

My heart feels lighter when I listen to them because, believe it or not, it fills me with hope. Being a part of Nyx, all the things that need to be kept secret, the missions and the fears of not returning from one, it can break people. I've seen people just lose it and plough into their work, so much so that they just disappear altogether. And I don't want that to happen to us, I don't want us to lose our bond. At the least, I don't want them to lose their smiles.

But I do what I have to do, because I know there's a world out there in serious need of help. And that there's a greater good to come out of this.

I hope.

"Alright team, the three recruits are hear. Get ready."

"Hai."

* * *

"Dammit Sakura, stop!"

Why is she so fast? At this point, it's obvious that she's purposely ignoring us. I've been shouting like a fucking idiot since before we got to this factory and she won't even turn the fuck back.

"Sasuke-kun, we should just stop." I look to an out of breath Ino and Naruto by her side, "Maybe Sakura just wanted to take a walk and ended up here?"

I see Naruto's eyes flash as he shouts at the girl. "Are you crazy?! She said that she was going to work; _this_," he gestures wildly in the air, "is a bunch of abandoned buildings in the middle of nowhere! This _reeks_ of weird!"

Ino, to her credit, at least looks a bit miffed.

"The dobe is right, for once. I don't know what's going on here exactly, but something's not right."

We follow Sakura into one of the huge, one-story factories in the complex. It's not dark, like I thought it would be, because thankfully there are skylights. The place is filled with unopened crates and mechanical equipments dusty with disuse. I have to take deep breaths because the air inside has gone stale and hot.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan, where are you?"

"Forehead girl, you better come out now!"

I'm getting real tired of playing hide-and-go fuck yourself. I have no choice… I know that I'm going to have to use _it _if we want to find Sakura before it gets dark. Naruto and Ino might see, but the consequences will have to be dealt with later.

"_Sharingan!"_

Ino and the dobe back off, as expected. It's not exactly everyday that you see someone change eye colour.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"The fuck teme?! Why are your eyes red?"

I consider giving them an explanation, but I don't really have one to offer. '_Well my eyes turn red and I can see things that you can't_' doesn't make things any clearer.

The sharingan… is something Itachi taught me. Accidentally, of course. Aniki came home late one night and before he could enter his room across mine, he noticed me hiding behind my slightly open door. His eyes were red as blood, with three tomoes in a circle.

It's a secret between you and I Sasuke, he said. It was only until we learned that Itachi was gone that my sharingan appeared.

"Look, I know this doesn't make sense." I look at the two, trying to make them understand. "But trust me for now. Let's just say it's my superpower dobe."

It took me a while to figure out what the sharingan could do. Freaked the hell out of me too when it first showed. Even though Itachi was dead, I decided to honour him and kept it a secret. It felt like I still had a connection with him, something that only he and I shared.

And, you know, people would've thought I was crazy.

"Eh? Are you sure it's not just a nasty case of sore eyes?" I glare at the idiot. "Fine, what can you do with those then?"

"Well for one thing, I can see that Sakura's over there in the next room."

And she is. The only catch is that she's not alone.

I can sense four other people there with her; three men and one woman. A cold creeps up on me because I realize something that I refuse to believe is true. This running around with the three of us following (and yes, I know that Sakura's aware of us tailing her) then ending up in an abandoned and secluded area with nowhere to go? Our every action has been manipulated to this point.

And it's either Sakura is being manipulated as well or she's a part of this.

I don't tell Naruto because I know what he'll say, along with a suckerpunch to the face for even suspecting anything. So I just tell him that there are four other people in there with Sakura. Let him make of that what he will.

"What do we do now Sasuke-kun?" Ino, who's managed to stay quiet until now, pipes in. For the first time I notice her trembling hands and the genuine fear in her eyes. Maybe she'd be better off if we left her behind here but since we don't know what we're dealing with here, I reconsider.

What _are_ we dealing with here? I look to Naruto, and I see the exact same question mirrored in his eyes.

* * *

In the end, we will never know the answer unless we go in.

And it's weird because in the time that we spent second guessing ourselves and the situation, we never noticed the night fall.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!"

Sakura is finally stationary. Unfortunately that's because she's being held by the boy she was with in the picture, the punk with the pineapple head. He's wearing this lazy look on his face, like he was _forced_ to be here. The .38 he's holding however says otherwise.

"Sakura-chan! Let her go you bastard!" I block Naruto before he can lunge towards them. I can't really expect the dobe not to be hot headed, especially since Sakura's involved. Not that this doesn't bother me; the possibility of what this is insinuating is… well, they better stay out of my reach.

"You heard what he said, let me go bastards!" Nice to see that Sakura still has her feisty spirit.

The other three beside them, I can't see what they look like. They're all wearing black— black shirt, black pants, and typical white_ Noh_ masks. Two of them— I'm assuming they're male, are standing at either side of Sakura and pineapple head while one is languidly sitting on top of a pile of crates, like a cat.

"Yosh! No need to get all worked up my pretty lady! Once we get what we need, we'll be on our way."

"And what exactly is that?" I ask, trying to buy more time so I can size up the situation… try to figure it out because some things just aren't clicking together.

Pineapple head straightens his stance and strengthens his grip on Sakura's elbow, as if he's just now waking up. Suddenly, there's something dangerous about him that wasn't there a moment ago. The bastard points his gun at me and it's all too obvious what they meant.

"Sorry, but you're not exactly my type."

"_Mendokuse_…" He scratches his head with the gun then puts it against Sakura's head. "Funny bastard aren't you. Anyway, yada yada… you either come with us or Pinky's brains will be decorating the walls."

Before either Naruto or I can even react, he's running across a dark hallway with Sakura in tow. _Kami,_ how long is this going to take? It doesn't help that it feels like my head is going to explode.

"Naruto." I don't say anything else besides his name but I signal for him to take Ino and get out of here.

"Oh no teme, I'm not going anywhere! You're going to need me here. _Sakura-chan _needs me here."

"No, what we _need_ is for all this insanity to stop."

And it's then that the three masked— whatever they were, started walking to us. Under normal circumstances, I'd be confident facing all of them alone. But since this migraine started, little black spots have been flickering on and off of my vision. I don't know how good a fighter these three are, but something tells me not to underestimate them. They move with a certain synchronicity that says they're not just your run of the mill hoodlums

"No one's leaving this place," the one with the long hair says. He tells the other two to take their targets, leaving me and him face to face. So _he's_ going to be my opponent.

In my peripheral vision, I see the guy with the bowl cut take a stance in front of Naruto and the girl with the two buns on her hair take out a long knife and face Ino. Tss, pineapple head is right. This_ is_ troublesome.

"I wonder how the great Uchiha Sasuke is going to fare." He crouches down with his arms outstretched, one low, facing me, and the other to his back, angled up.

I can't help but smirk because, even though what we're doing is absolutely fucking dangerous, I find myself exhilarated. Well, wouldn't it be rude if he was taking this seriously and I wasn't? I stand straight and beckon to him, taunting him.

"Hn. Are you going to find out or are you just going to keep on talking?"

* * *

"_My _brains are going to be decorating the walls?!" I can't stop myself from shouting and damn, I hope Sasuke-kun and the others don't hear. I'm not entirely sure how soundproof the walls here are. "How dare you point a gun at me? It's fucking loaded you lazy bastard!"

"Let go of my shirt and shut-up Haruno, it got the job done."

"But you… you were going to shoot my head clean off! _Me_! Your longest known friend!"

Shikamaru stares at me like he always does when I'm being stupid. And yes, I concede, I am at the moment. So I ease my hold of him. If he had asked, which I know he wouldn't, I'd have told him that the stress is making me hysterical. Seriously, I can't stop my hands from shaking.

We look at the three screens above our heads, only one of which was being used. It looks like the six are about to face off.

Typical Sasuke-kun, I knew he wouldn't be able to resist goading Neji-san on. He doesn't even know that his opponent is a Hyuuga and yet he's already recreating the rivalry between their clans... Hmm, maybe it's in the blood.

Naruto is doing fine as well. It looks like he's even excited at the prospect of fighting. His smile is bright and his blue eyes are lit up, just like how he is in every game he plays. He's definitely confident.

Which is not something I can say about Ino, at first glance. I can see her looking left and right, like a cornered animal. If I didn't know better, I would have felt sorry for all of this. But I do know better, she's already looking for ways out. And besides, animals, when cornered, put up one heck of a fight.

"How do you plan on ending this Haruno?"

Shikamaru's already sitting on top of one of the boxes so I join him. How indeed? What happens if they lose their fights? Do they fail their recruitments? Somehow, I doubt that… And it's not like things can just go back to how they were.

So if they win?

"How this pans out… won't depend on just me Nara. We'll just have to wait for what they make out of this."

* * *

A/N:

Noh- this is a kind of play performed in Japan. It is an art form that utilizes masks of a great variety. It is more often made with a 'neutral' expression and it is up to the actor to imbue the mask, or the character, with emotions. The type I used here are _Onna-men, _the type that usually comes to mind when one thinks of Noh masks_. _

This chapter was _so _hard to write. It took me a while to figure out whose point of view I would use, I even considered Naruto at one point, until I decided that 'aww heck! I'll just use both Sakura and Sasuke's.' Also, the balance between thought and action? It's pretty much also the balance between showing and telling. But I'm glad it's here, it's done. And here you go.

For those who are looking for SasuSaku fluff (like I am), it'll come in the following chapters. Promise! I'll whip up a fluff storm or something, cause I miss the fluff.

Oh and here's a question. Why are most SasuSaku oneshots I read these days all start with the subject of painting Sasuke's house or Sakura and Sasuke's kid's room? Is this a trend or a prompt? I really don't know. Insert curious face.

Woo- As it is, I'm re-writing this story and overhauling the previous plot. I'm not exactly winging it… but I hope you like how the story is going to unravel, so to speak.


	6. Biggest Surprise of the Night

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Six: Biggest Surprise of the Night

* * *

Some things aren't adding up.

Like a scent that reminds you of something, and all you can see are flashes of things you maybe once held or a place you once went to, but never the full memory. And it eats away at you because you can't remember what the fuck it is you're trying to remember. It's at the back of your mind but that's where it stays.

That's what bothers me with this whole situation. Something is _still_ wrong and it feels like I should know what it is. They imply that they want me, for what fucking nefarious purpose I don't know— they even used Sakura to get me here! How they did that, is lost to me as well.

That's just it; there are too many things that don't make sense.

Before anyone could make a move, Ino had bolted— to where exactly I don't care. The girl with the long knife was surprised at first but eventually, she followed and I can only hope that Ino got away.

I thought it would be Naruto and me versus the other two, but even the dobe ran away when his opponent did. The bowl-cut guy struck a fucking pose and said something along the lines of _"The best of the best are those who utilize their youth to the fullest! That is why you will never beat me!"… _And of course, my so-called bestfriend leaves me behind just so he can win a crazy contest in some equally crazy guy's head.

Che, traitor.

So that leaves me with he-barbie here and I admit, he puts up a decent fight. He's blocked my hits and I've largely stayed out of his reach. My lungs are about to burst though and my eyes are still blurry (I suspect because of the sharingan), and he's just standing there with his hair perfectly in place.

"Not tired yet, are you Uchiha? Pity."

"Why don't you just tell me... what's going on before I wipe the floor with you?"

This irks him for some reason because he throws three kunaisbefore my feet. _Kunais? _What era does he live in?

"Don't promise things you can't back up with your actions _Uchiha_." I know the bastard's wearing a mask but I can practically _hear _him smirk when he talks. He says my name like it's synonymous to worm.

I charge at him, aiming for his jaw, but he deflects it with a fluid flick of his arm. This gives him the perfect vantage point to hit me in the stomach, the chest, or the head. It catches me off guard when he makes a series of light slaps with his palm on my arms instead.

"The fuck?" I swear, not because I lose my balance when he pushes me away, but because I can barely lift my arms. It's not broken; I know what broken bones are like. But this—there's an excruciating pain, as if a thousand needles are digging under my skin.

"What the fuck did you do?!" I grit my teeth through the pain.

"I blocked the nodes that help you control your arms," he says like one might say the sky is blue. "Oh come on Uchiha, should anything still surprise you?"

And he's right; I never really believed that the sharingan was the most shocking thing out there. If anything, it proves that there is a lot of seriously amazing shit I can't explain in the world. And since logic has already flown out the window, then why can't he-barbie have superpowers too?

Fan-_fucking_-tastic.

"Where… is… Sakura?" I'm sweaty, I have a migraine, and now that I'm late for dinner, ka-chan and otou-san might be launching a nationwide search for me. The girl had _better_ be okay.

"Come with us and we'll let her go."

He-barbie offers his hand to me, as if I'm going to take it and prance with him out of here. "Go. Fuck yourself."

Time to end this.

My arms may hurt like hell but I can still move them and damn it all if I'll let this stop me! I activate my sharingan, ignoring the fucking headache that comes with it. I'm confident I can win this; I hope he-barbie can see it in my wide smirk. I can't go near him for now but he's unknowingly given me the victory.

Behind my back, I twirl the three kunais that he threw at me. Three is all I need.

With the sharingan, I can figure out his next moves. That's why when I throw the first kunai straight at him; I know to run left when he twists to avoid it. Then I can throw the second at his right hand, from behind, pinning him to one of the nearby crates.

And it works. Of course.

"Argh!" he moves to pull out the kunai buried in his hand but I'm there before he can even blink—presumably. The third kunai I immediately press against the bastard's neck. I make sure to nick him too because, well, I need to vent.

"Well, well, well. So you do have a brain on you."

How could he stay so fucking calm? His blood is creating a mini, red pool on the floor via his hand and I can end his life with one motion in any second. Who _is_ this arrogant bastard?

I reach for his mask and he makes no movement to stop me.

And suddenly I'm staring at the white eyes of a Hyuuga.

* * *

"_Uh-oh… _Kami no, no, no."

I continue my pacing even when Shikamaru tells me to stop. Sasuke-kun knows who Neji-san is now, or more specifically, that he's a Hyuuga. The pupil-less eyes _are _distinct to their clan. And now that he knows… _Now _that he knows—

"Now that he knows, who cares? Isn't this what you're testing them for anyway?"

I almost kick Shikamaru on the shins; lazy bastard, always has to be right.

The point was never to see how strong they were or how they fared against actual Nyx agents. It's how fast they figure out (_if _they do) that this is all an act. And it seems like Sasuke-kun just might be the first of the three of them… I feel sorry for Neji-san though. Yeah, I'll go fix him up later.

Ironically enough, the suspense is killing me. I mean I am the one who's supposedly the mastermind here. I'm horrified that I've reverted back to biting to my nails, like my six year old self. Just the nails on my thumbs though.

"Your blonde friend— Naruto, he's getting his ass kicked over there." Shikamaru says out loud with that signature drawl of his. I look at one of the other screens to watch Naruto's fight.

Sigh. Lee-san is using Naruto like a punching bag, a punching bag that gets up everytime he knocks it down. Poor Naruto, he never was one to give up— ooh, that black eye looks painful. I'll have to fix that later too.

I hope, somehow, he figure is out soon enough.

The last screen is seemingly empty, the one that's supposed to show how Ino-pig is doing. Except she's nowhere to be seen, off hiding somewhere I assume. The room is full of shelves with who-knows-what on them. Most of the bulbs are busted so there's not much to see. Tenten definitely has her work cut out for her, trying to find her here.

Boring, some might say. I wouldn't blame them, there's not much happening there really. But this is actually the fight I'm most excited to watch.

Shikamaru, for once, sits up. "Why are you so focused on the blonde girl Haruno?"

"Shhh, just watch." I don't turn back, because I might miss the exact moment.

"You didn't read their files did you? Just the background check? Well… you know how she's editor-in-chief of our school's newspaper? Yeah, yeah I know, it's not real news. But anyway, she's always had a knack for rumours and scandals. _Always. _Like she always 'knows' just who to talk to or where to find the answers."

I hear a quiet 'troublesome' from Shikamaru. "So she's a gossip?"

"Oh, Nara. Just watch… this is another woman you have to watch out for."

And there it is. So instantaneous that unless you knew what you were looking for, you wouldn't have seen it coming. Tenten drops her weapon on the floor, a loud clang resounding in the room. She stretches her arms up, then puts one hand on her hip, and fixes her hair with the other.

"That's not Tenten, is it?"

For a moment, I can see the blood drain from Shikamaru's face. Too bad I don't have a camera with me right now. "Not at all."

It's Ino.

I don't know how, but she's switched consciousness with Tenten. Meaning it's not just the body she can use, there's also the mind. And it's only a matter of time until…

"The heck— Forehead girl!"

…Until she figures everything out. Huh. I was wrong; Ino beat Sasuke-kun to it.

Shikamaru and I watch as she pulls her unconscious body from behind a mountain of boxes. She exits the room with it (uh, herself?) and I know who she's going to run to next.

"Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

This is bullshit.

What the fuck does a _Hyuuga _have to do with any of this? Granted our clans are not the best of pals… I'm pretty sure their clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi, hates otou-san's guts.

The presence of a Hyuuga would explain what they want with me. Kidnapping, extortion, not to mention that by offing me, the Uchiha clan would have no heir and I'm fucking sure that that would play right into their cards.

But what little I know of the Hyuuga and clan politics tell me that they're too proud for such a dirty trick.

And I'm just not buying into anymore of this shit.

I've already freed Hyuuga Neji (kind enough of him to give me his name) when I hear a girl shout my name. At first I thought it was Ino, that maybe the other girl had caught up with her and she's hurt. It's surprising when I turn and its—

"Tenten? Why are you back here?" Neji stands up awkwardly, all the while nursing his bloody hand.

Tenten? The girl Sakura was talking to in gym? I want to kick myself for not recognizing her before. But, I mean, the same hairstyle doesn't necessarily equate her as the same girl. No matter how much most girls look alike to me.

And then it all falls into place. Sakura and the fucking rumour. Sakura and this girl. Following Sakura and then she gets held hostage when we finally catch up to her. It all leads to Sakura…

Sakura fucking planned all of this!

My hands ball into fists automatically and I just have to punch something! I settle for the crate beside Neji's face. It feels good but it in no way lessens my frustration or confusion. Next to me, the bastard doesn't even blink and I consider hitting _him _next. Getting him unconscious won't do though, I still need my answers.

I look back at the girl, Tenten, and notice for the first time that she has Ino slung on her shoulder. She's not dead, I decide, just out of it. Her blonde hair, bound in a ponytail, nearly touches the floor. I practically hiss at her to let Ino go, I'm pretty sure that any talking on my part right now will just lead to shouting. And then after that, I don't know, but it wouldn't be good.

She shakes her head no. "Sasuke-kun, _I am _Ino."

I'm pretty sure my eyebrows are shot up into space, because what the fuck is going on?

But I consider it for a second. It's not any _less_ crazy than what I've been experiencing here. Why not add switching bodies to this freak show?

"I can switch bodies Sasuke-kun. I'm so sorry for not telling you earlier, I hope this doesn't change your view of me. But I know who's behind this, it's—"

"Sakura." I finish her sentence for her. Hearing it from someone else is just confirming what I already know, but it sure as shit isn't making me any less mad.

So we know who's pulling the strings. But why? Since Sakura isn't here, I settle for the next person who's conscious.

"Hyuuga. Start talking."

He shrugs, "You'll find out soon enough."

And I snap. "Bastard, I'll—"

"_KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

I stop mid-punch. That scream. It sounded like Naruto… and more.

* * *

We run to where we assume Naruto is, which is basically where all the noise is coming from. The screaming hasn't stopped and it's fucking unnerving. The dobe is shouting like he's in pain, but it's like there are other voices screaming with him.

What the hell is Sakura planning?

When we finally find him, Naruto is doubled over and clutching his stomach. Near him, with his hands hovering over Naruto, is bowl-cut guy. His mask is already off and shattered on the floor.

At first I thought that he had done something to the dobe, a critical attack or something. I would've thought that if he didn't look so damned worried. When he finally notices us, he calls for Neji and Tenten to help him, not knowing that 'Tenten' here is actually Ino.

"I don't know what happened Neji-san. We were having a youthful spar, but he was losing a lot— then he suddenly collapsed like that!"

Whatever is happening, I prepare myself for the worst. This just might be the biggest fucking surprise of the night, and leave it to the dobe to deliver.

Red mist slowly rises from Naruto's body. It doesn't dissipate; it stays close to him and takes on form, like miasma. Suddenly the screaming stops.

He stands up shakily, gasping for air, and focuses at bowl-cut guy in front of him. It doesn't look like he knows we're even here and it's alarming. Because if he's not even freaking conscious of his surroundings, he may not be aware of what he's doing either.

"N-Naruto-san, stop. Sakura-san is safe, she's okay." Bowl-cut guy (whose name is apparently Lee) backs away from the dobe slowly. I don't know what shit he's capable of right now, but there's something in the air that's making the hairs on my neck stand up.

"_Where's… Sakura-chan?"_

There it is again, the _voices_. This isn't some fucking demonic possession is it?

Whatever this is, I see that Lee is going to land in real shit— metaphorically speaking, of course— if he doesn't move and run. Because just like that, Naruto is charging at him, fast as a flash, with one fist ready to connect to skull, or bone, or soft flesh.

"Lee, run!"

"Dobe! Stop!"

Neji attempts to head him off, as do I. Don't get me wrong, I think they deserve every wound and body pain they may get. But I'm not quite up to burying a dead body tonight.

Then there's a vision of pink before we can even get there.

Sakura!

She's effectively pushed Lee a few meters behind her with one kick, I don't know how, and she's blocked Naruto off. The miasma around Naruto looks heated, _angry_… and it's boiling over her. I can already see red welts appearing on her arms.

"Neji-san, knock him out!"

The Hyuuga does so wordlessly with one well-placed hit on the neck. And when Naruto becomes unconscious, the red mist disappears as well.

When I think I get over most of my shock, I step closer. Sakura's not breathing properly and years of being protective kicks in, making me worry that her asthma is kicking in.

But she doesn't deserve it.

Because after years of being _friends,_ it looks like I don't even know jackshit about her.

"Please, help me get him inside. Now." She looks at Neji, and Lee. Then she looks at me.

I don't move though.

I just stand there staring at _the_ biggest surprise of the night.

* * *

A/N:

That awkward moment while I was writing that scene where Sasuke takes off Neji's mask, and I realize I was practically writing them a bromance. Oh god why?

Yes, another chapter done! I'm really not any good with fight scenes so I apologize profusely. I really might need a beta for those… Anyone wants to apply?

WhatChuuKnowBoutMe- Thanks for the very long review! Yeah, don't we all love a badass Sakura? Insert happy face. Sakura didn't face the three herself because, really, Sasuke and Naruto weren't going to give it their all. So it was better to have Neji and the others to do it, me thinks. Anyway, yes, please, continue reading. And reviewing!

sakura-chan-girl101- I thank you for the many reviews! I really look forward to knowing what you guys think. But thanks for reviewing constantly, and I'm happy that you like the story so far.

Ladie- Awesome! Of course I'll keep on going.

xCassiex- Is Ladie the friend you're talking about? Cause you two reviewed within minutes of each other. Yes? No? Anyway, awesome! Me too, I want more SasuSaku. It'll come in due time, don't worry.

Review guys! Thanks!


	7. Fill in the Spaces

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Seven: Fill in the Spaces

* * *

What… do I say now?

My plans didn't go as I had hoped and now there are blanks in the spaces where familiar words should be. To say that conversation was strained is probably the same as saying it would be hard for me to lift a house: a major understatement.

"_I'm leaving… otou-san and ka-chan are probably looking for me."_

"_O-oh don't worry Sasuke-kun, I sent Mikoto-san a message on Facebook… I told her we were working on a project."_

"…"

"_Mikoto-sama is in Facebook?!"_

Thanks to Ino-pig and her timely chatter though, well, at least there are moments of reprieve.

I sent Team 'Blossom of Youth' to another room where I patched them up. Actually, the other two were okay, aside from minor scratches, but Neji-san needed something a bit more _special._ The wound on his hand (courtesy of Sasuke-kun) needed to be healed immediately and bandaged before it got infected. But I didn't know if it was the right time to show the others what I could do…

And so here we are, in one of Nyx base's white-washed, hospital rooms, quiet as we wait for Naruto to wake up. It smells terribly of antiseptic and the halogen drop lights are the really bright type that I hate.

Shikamaru was willing enough to stay with us, thankfully. Although it looks like he's sleeping in one of the beds, at least he's here.

And, it's not that silent actually. Ino is on her phone again, texting away like she usually does. Maybe she's catching up on whatever gossip she's missed out on in the past couple of hours. Or maybe spreading one of her own. One thing I'm sure of at least is that she's not telling anyone about _this._

I wish she'd stop though. The tick-tick-ticking of her keypad is making it even more obvious how awkward the situation is.

I look to Sasuke-kun who, in truly Sasuke fashion, is leaning against the wall next to Naruto's bed, bandaged arms crossed, eyes closed, and face blank. Sigh. He's not saying anything, and although that's how he normally is, I know that there's something just underneath the surface he's pushing back… I know him.

This really isn't how I planned it would go. I thought that after they'd figure things out, they would go and find me. And I would be waiting for them with Shikamaru, party poppers and all.

"Ngrhhh… Sa…chan? …Teme?"

"Kami, you're awake! How are you feeling Naruto?"

"Dobe."

We're all alert when Naruto wakes up. I rush to his side, Sasuke-kun straightens up, and Ino pockets her phone. Heck even Shikamaru stands up, guess he really wasn't sleeping after all.

"Sakura-chan! You're here! You're alright!" Naruto, weak as he was, grabs me and gives me one of his signature bear hugs. And I can't help the tears pooling at the corners of my eyes because I'm _so _happy he's fine. And because I feel silly receiving any worry coming from him when I'm the one who's put him in danger.

I grab his shoulders and gently pry him away from me. "Naruto, what happened out there?"

There's a question forming in those blue eyes of his and then a slow, sort of sad realization. "I blacked-out out there didn't I?... That only happens when I'm real tired, and angry. What did you guys see?"

No one speaks, not because there's nothing to say. There's a _lot _to say, just that we probably didn't know how to start. I know I didn't. We were all left staring at each other, waiting to see who speaks first.

Amazingly, it's Ino.

"You kind of went wild out there Naruto," she says, choosing her words carefully, "There was this _red thing _that was going out of you? It was kind of scary. You attacked that guy with the ugly haircut—"

"Ino-pig!"

"_What_? It was ugly! And man, his eyebrows! Have _you _seen them or does he usually just wear the mask?"

I wanted to defend Lee-san, I really, really did. But the tension was building up so much that… I _laugh_ instead.

I know, I'm weird. But that's what I do when I'm stressed; I find something to laugh about no matter how ridiculous. It starts out as a giggle, a chortle, then a full-blown laughter. Next thing I know, Ino's laughing with me and Shikamaru does as well. Naruto doesn't laugh, he guffaws! So hard that I'm worried he might bust a gut or something. Even Sasuke-kun, cold block of ice, can't help but smirk.

I don't think there has ever been a time that I've been so thankful of Ino-pig and her insensitive ways as I do now.

"My, my, it's always delightful to hear the laughter of ones so young."

Shikamaru and I stand straight immediately. "Sarutobi-sama."

* * *

_Hang me by the noose now. _

_I've failed, I know, so please give me time to collect my belongings and I'll be out of here before morning._

All these thoughts enter my head like a barrage. They have their merits too so I can't just dismiss them. I've probably failed harder than anybody in the history of Nyx! I've _tarnished _its respected named and now they're going to throw me out… And I'll be living in a box while I make a living turning dirty tricks in the streets!

Wow, I've been watching too much of The Closer.

I steel myself when Sarutobi-sama calls us all to his office. We take our sweet time getting there because even with me supporting him, Naruto has to hobble his way there. Sasuke-kun's hurting too, I can tell, but he's too damn proud to ask for help.

Sarutobi-sama's office is just as I left it: pristinely organized, dark, and smelling of tobacco, varnished wood, and leather. It's an old man's room that's for sure; it's sophisticated and imposing at the same time. Out of habit, I tell him that the light from the monitor is bad for his health.

He chuckles at that and I'm momentarily put at ease. "Everything is bad for my health when it comes to you Sakura-chan. Next time you're going to say that I need to retire." Nevertheless, he opens the lights anyway.

"Well don't just stand around there, sit down, sit down."

I place Naruto in one of the chairs in front of Sarutobi-sama's table and Ino and Shikamaru takes the others. Sasuke-kun does what he does best: stand against the wall and produce an aura that he's not to be messed with at the moment.

And I, well I guess I'll be sitting on the armrest of Naruto's chair. Hey, if Shikamaru's sitting down, so am I.

Sarutobi-sama looks at all of us, smiling like we're exactly the group of people he wants to see the most. "You're the three recruits then?"

Oops. "Sarutobi-sama, they don't know anything yet… I haven't told them anything about…"

"It's okay Sakura-chan. Naruto here already knows me. And I know Sasuke-san and of course, the lovely Yamanaka Ino."

Well this was news to me. "Naruto, you know Sarutobi-sama?"

My blonde bestfriend gives a sheepish grin, "Well yeah. I eat with jiji (grandpa) at Ichiraku more than once a week. But I still have no idea what's going on here."

For once, I stop myself from telling Sarutobi-sama that ramen is not nutritious. At least now I know where he occasionally disappears to.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here and there's no use beating around the bush anymore… You have heard of ANBU, haven't you?" He goes on to explain that ANBU is basically the highest rank in the country's defence force and that they answer only to the emperor, or the prime minister.

"Yeah, we already know that. So?" The gruffness in Sasuke-kun's tone betrayed the impatience his neutral expression was hiding.

"Ah yes, Sasuke-san. Your family's company equips even ANBU with the weapons you create," Sarutobi-sama continues without missing a beat. "What I'm sure you're not aware of however, are the two sub-divisions within ANBU itself, one of which is Regiment Nyx."

My heart is beating so hard, I'm surprised that no else but I can hear it. I concentrate on each plank of the wooden floors, remembering the story of the emperor who— in fear of his enemies— had his whole palace boarded with floors that creaked at the slightest pressure. I don't look anybody in the eye because I don't want to see what they're thinking when they learn about this other life I have.

"We at Nyx," he stands up to gesture at me and Shikamaru, "are what some people may deem… unique. I'm sure you've seen examples of it today. Sakura, would you please?"

I stand up and take a letter opener from Sarutobi-sama's desk and, like a magic trick I've been practicing for a long time, I lift my left arm for everyone to see so I can slash it open with the sharp object.

"Shit Forehead! What the heck are you doing?" Ino stands up, scandalized. This is probably the most worried about me that I've seen her in in years.

I ignore the shock and their incredulous eyes on me. Instead I concentrate on putting enough energy on my right hand, happy when a soft green light finally comes out. I let it hover over the wound I've created and in no time at all, I've mended my skin back together.

"Just like magic."

For a moment, everything is silent. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find their expressions the least bit entertaining, wide eyes and jaws hanging down and all. Even Sasuke-kun, whose Sharingan has suddenly activated, looks surprised.

"Since the beginning of time, there have always been stories about people who have seemingly supernatural powers. Hercules of the Greek mythologies who, with a single blow, can kill a man and the Valkyrie Brynhild who lay in a couch surrounded by flaming fire. Closer to home, we have Ôkuninushi, a descendant of the storm god Susano-ô, who was the hero of the legend of the Hare of Inaba. All of them, heroes with mythical, god-like powers. Not entirely unlike those that you've seen today, in others and in yourselves."

"Are you saying that we're superheroes?" There's an unmistakable excitement in Naruto. If he wasn't so beat up, I'm pretty sure he'd be jumping up on tables.

"Yes Naruto, for a lack of better words. The government calls us _Logos, _from the Greek word _Logoi, _meaning stories. And to everybody except a select few, we are exactly that, just stories. The existence of people like us—"

"If what you're saying is true," Sasuke-kun walks towards us as he talks, "shouldn't there be more talk about this? You can't possibly have control over every nut who can walk through walls."

"Yeah." Ino joins in on the conversation. "How long has this been going on?"

"Roughly three decades." Shikamaru says with a yawn. "To put it into perspective, that's a little more than ten years before we were all born, with the exception of Sarutobi-jiji here."

There is silence again as we let them process the information. All these secrets that they're just now finding out has got me thinking; I never knew about Ino's body switch… skills, or Sasuke-kun's Sharingan, or even Naruto's massive, almost demonic strength. I'm not the only one who's been keeping secrets.

"Why are we like this? Why do we have these… powers?" Again, Ino is the first to speak. Her eyes are glazed and I'm afraid she might cry. It reminds me of the first time I heard this speech spoken; only it was directed at me.

"I'm sorry, but that's something we've yet to find the answer to. Part of the reason why Regiment Nyx was established is to figure out _why _this is happening, _how _this is happening. All we know for now is that in the last thirty years, there have been many children your age— and even some adults, who have started to exhibit special abilities such as yours."

"And that's why you want to recruit us." Sasuke-kun says, more a statement than a question.

"Yes. But also, to help you hone your powers, train you so that you know how to use them. Would the three of you, Naruto, Sasuke-san, Ino-san, accept that help?"

I remember when it was me sitting in these chairs, back when I first discovered I could heal. That was four years since my parents had died and back then, my answer had been an immediate yes. I was scared of what I could do, and I've been staying here at Nyx base long enough to know that I would be taken care of. I wonder if they're feeling the same, just without the certainty.

"I'll do it." I'm surprised that it's Sasuke-kun who says yes first, the way he's been acting all night I would've thought that he'd have left the first chance he got.

Naruto, with his inherent eternal rivalry with Sasuke-kun, of course says yes as well. "Well if the teme's joining then so am I!"

"H-hey! If Sasuke-kun is joining then so am I! Besides, it can't be that hard if Forehead can do it."

"You're pushing your luck Pig."

I can't believe they all agreed so easily. I look back to Sarutobi-sama and I can't make heads or tails if he's happy. All I know is that he's been doing this long enough. I remember he said, when I was also being recruited, that we always had a choice.

Funny. With all the secrets and the things that didn't work out, it doesn't feel that way. It's more like a series of reflexes to everything life throws at you.

It's like we're all heading for the inevitable instead.

* * *

After Sarutobi-sama's office, I take the three of them out for some much needed fresh air. I lead them out through the Shibuya passage way and we notice for the first time that it's way past midnight. The people in the streets are thinning out but the bars, as always, are still open.

"I'm hungry! You guys wanna go eat?" There are little puffs of cold air when I talk, it makes me wonder if it's going to snow.

"Hell yeah! Are there any good ramen stores here?" Naruto's energy really never wanes. After everything that's happened, the only thing in his mind is still food. He places his one good arm on my shoulders and looks to Sasuke-kun and Ino. "Are you two coming or not?"

"I'm getting out of here."

Without another word, Sasuke-kun stalks away from us. Not even Naruto's yelling could get him to turn back. I grab his wrist, hoping he'd stop to at least tell us what's wrong. But all he does is snatch away his hand as if I stung him.

"Wait Sasuke-kun! I'll go with you!" Ino runs after him, her blonde ponytail sashaying in the wind.

Naruto scratches his head in confusion. "What the hell is wrong with that bastard?"

There could be a million reasons. It could be the stress or that everything he's heard is too much to take in. But in all this time he's rarely said a word, most of all to me.

I'm afraid that _I'm_ the one he wants to get away from.

* * *

A/N:

Hello there! So I've gone back to writing chapters with only one POV. I really missed writing Sakura. This chapter was a little delayed because I'm starting school and thesis is coming up so… yikes.

Anyway, I think I said in the summary that there were elements of mythologies in this story, primarily Greek. And this chapter explains how. And the existence of Nyx and what it is, is also tackled in this chapter.

Again, thanks to all the people who read Nyx Eros. Please leave a review about what you thought about this chapter, the characters, or the whole story so far, you'll make my day I promise! Insert happy face.

If you also have any questions or requests, don't hesitate to ask.

P.S. I do not own Naruto, Facebook, or The Closer.


	8. I Know You

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Eight: I Know You

* * *

"You asshole, it's been a week! Why aren't you talking to us yet?"

There are times when you just want to punch annoying people right in the mouth. And then there are times when 'those people' is just Naruto and you want to throw him off the roof as well.

"Piss off Naruto. I'm tired."

I should've known he'd find me here. There are only two places where fangirls can't find me: the court no one uses at the edge of campus, and the rooftop of the library building. Surprise, surprise, most fangirls don't even know where the library is. Unfortunately, Naruto does and it's making me wish I had just cut school altogether.

"Eh? Why the hell would you be tired?" Naruto scratches his head as he leans on the metal fence surrounding the rooftop. "You've been going home early from school. You're out of the classroom even before I can turn to look for you."

"I don't know. I'm getting ready for the quarter finals— Otou-san has me visiting the production lines to oversee them… Just clan stuff that's none of your fucking business Naruto."

It wasn't an outright lie. My week _was _busy and I did do all those things. But he looks at me like he and I both know I'm just rambling to get him off my case.

There's a small table with a white tarp for a shade around here. It's not ideal but it's comfortable enough. When I finally get to it, I lie down like I've done many times before. The chilly wind passes through me and through the question left hanging in the air.

_Why aren't you talking to Sakura-chan?_

"Bullshit that it's none of my business! We haven't seen each other in days teme! I haven't beat on anybody this week and I … I actually miss someone calling me dobe."

"Hn." Somehow I doubt that. There's a long line of people who would call him an idiot any day.

Naruto turns quiet, and I use this time to close my eyes. Maybe I can still get some sleep before lunch break ends. Maybe he'll just go away if I ignore him.

When I actually do hear the creak of the door opening, I have to sneak a look to see if he's really leaving me alone. His back is facing me and he has his hand on the knob. He doesn't turn to me when he says, "Sakura-chan misses you, you jerk."

* * *

When I get home, I don't go straight to my room. I go to Itachi's instead.

His room has been left exactly as it was since he was last here. Ka-chan still doesn't have the heart to have all his things boxed and stored somewhere else. Otou-san's not going to push her and I certainly don't have any problems with that. Even after all this time, this is still Itachi's room.

I haven't been here in a while. I place my bag on top of his desk and I take note on how clean everything is, not even a speck of dust. Ka-chan must still instruct the maids to go here. I wonder how they feel about taking care of a dead guy's bedroom.

The few times I've been here when Itachi was alive were also the few times I actually saw him not working. I'd climb up his bed, like I'm doing now, and I'd tell him about school, or how my day went, or what stupid thing Sakura or Naruto did that day.

That idiot…

Naruto has always been prone to exaggerations. Like when he said we haven't seen each other in a week. I see him every day at school for crying out loud, he's not exactly hard to miss. And if he meant talking about _Nyx… _well he can forget about if for now.

I need a fucking break.

Crazy is a pathetic adjective for all that's happened if you think about it. Crazy was when I dared the dobe to run around the quad in only his boxers during the first snowfall of winter, and he actually did it. But this, whatever this is, has crossed to the realm of shit-you-just-can't-make-this-stuff-up.

We haven't heard from Nyx since that night. No message, no email, no fucking letter. Even Sakura has gone back to pretending nothing's wrong… As if we could just pretend we're still the same people who met ten years ago.

Kami, what a load of crap.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's secrets. Itachi did it all his life, so much so that when he died, no one knew him at all. He was a blank canvass where the clan could paint their dreams for him. He fulfilled what was expected of him, even though I could sense he did it mechanically.

And I would've thought that that was all there was to Itachi. Until I found out about the Sharingan. Then all the too-long hours he was gone started to make sense, the times it looked like he wanted to say something but then he'd stop himself. Itachi let others create an impression of him that wasn't real, and he was content to live it, all so he could keep his secrets from prying eyes.

Aniki sure was a piece of work…

That night, when I left Sakura and the dobe after I found out about Nyx, I just wanted to get the fuck away. It felt like I was getting sucked into the same life as Itachi, all the things he kept from us piled up on top of him until he was crushed under.

I even thought that I felt vindicated in leaving the way I did.

Still… when I looked back for a split second, and saw Sakura barely managing not to cry, _I'm_ still the one who feels like shit.

* * *

"_Hey Sasuke-kun! If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"_

"… _Anywhere the dobe and his loud mouth can't reach."_

"_Mou, Sasuke-kun, that's mean! … Betcha' anything I know where you'd really want to be!"_

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yeah! You'd be in—"_

* * *

"_Teme answer the phone! Teme answer the phone!"_

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing, or rather, to Naruto's annoying voice saved as his special ringtone. Damn, why did I ever agree to that?

I consider just throwing it away; I'm not in the fucking mood to listen to Naruto preach about friendship. Against my better judgment however, I answer it anyway.

"What?" My voice is still groggy from sleep.

"Sasuke! I can't find Sakura-chan!"

That's it? He doesn't know where Sakura is? I have half the mind to hang up on him. "What are you calling me for? How should _I _know where she is?"

"This isn't a fucking joke you bastard!" I can hear the honking of cars on the other end, a sure sign of traffic. He's not looking for her in that defective motorcycle of his is he? "She's not in her dorm and she's not at work."

"Didn't we just go through this Naruto? Check up on Nyx base, she's probably _there._"

"She's not. I was already there, I looked for that Shikamaru dude and he said they haven't talked since last week."

I don't reply. The memories of following and chasing after Sakura are still all too fresh in my mind. I massage my forehead as a precaution against the headache that I know is coming anyway.

"Look, I know you have your emo problems or whatever, but will you just stop being a teme for once and help me?" I can hear him hesitate, but he adds anyway, "For Sakura-chan?"

I hang up on him.

I look around, confused until I realize I must have fallen asleep in Itachi's room. The weak, orange light of the setting sun provide the only visibility. I grab my bag from the desk and in the process, I knock over a picture frame.

It's one of the annual family pictures we take, the last one before Itachi died. From the picture, he's looking up at me with that vague smile of his, like the ones he gave me when he knows something I don't, when he knows what I have to do before I can even think about it.

Damn it Itachi, even dead, you're a pain in the ass.

* * *

If there was one place Sakura would be, it'd be in the playground where the three of us met. I know because it's her safety zone. Hell, the day we met her, she was hiding there from the older kids who teased her because of her wide forehead.

Personally, I don't know what the big deal is; ka-chan always said that a wide forehead was a sign of intelligence. She'll grow into it, I'm sure.

Should I feel good about myself that I know these things about her, like I'm such a freakin' awesome friend? I don't know… I don't think about it, I just take the car and go. For the second time in practically a week, I'm running after Sakura again.

Hn. Annoying girl.

The amusement park isn't far from home; I get there in no time at all. The sun has set however and the whole park is lit up like a lantern parade. Most everybody come here at night; it's so crowded, I can barely get around. But I get to the playground anyway.

It's empty of course; it's just not as appealing to the kids as much as the rides are. The playground isn't as bright as the rest of the place. There are only a couple of lampposts around, but it's enough. Enough for me to see the girl hugging her knees on top of the slide; the girl with the long, pink hair framing her face.

Sakura sees me immediately and calls my name before she slides down. I watch her run to me and I start to wonder what I'm doing here. I didn't even think about what I'd say now.

"Sasuke-kun! You're here! Thank goodness I found you. Well _you_ found me but—"

Found me? "What are you talking about? I came here to find you."

Both her eyebrows rise, she never could manage to lift just one. "But… Naruto called me and said he couldn't find you and that you weren't answering your cell."

I think it hits the two of us at the same time. _Naruto_.

The dobe set this up, forcing us to talk. And like an idiot, I played right into it. Sakura and I both did.

"Look…" I pocket my hands and I'm already half turning away from her. "Just go home Sakura. I'll deal with the dobe tomorrow."

Stupid Naruto. Damn it all. My head is already filling up with the hundred and one ways I'm going to murder Naruto tomorrow, that it barely registers when Sakura shouts my name.

"Sasuke, what the hell is your problem?!"

The lack of suffix made me turn. She's standing, feet apart as if she steadying herself, her arms half raised like she's going to charge at me. Her bangs are falling all over eyes that are fierce with anger.

I don't believe this, _she's _livid?

"I don't have a fucking problem Sakura!"

"Then why are you shouting at me?" She takes a step closer to grab the sleeve of my jacket. "You've been avoiding me all week. Hell, you won't even look me in the eye... Tell me why?"

"_Why_?" I grab her wrist like she did mine and I pulled her so close we're almost standing toe to toe. "Because I don't even know _who_ you are, and you don't know me. It seems like everything we know about you is a lie. And as far as I'm concerned, that cancels out the past ten years we've been _friends…_"

Her tears are free falling now, but I crush the feelings inside of me, telling me what an ass I am. All the dark thoughts I've been suppressing force their way out. "Who the hell are you Sakura? How do we even know you didn't befriend us just so you could spy on us for your fucking precious organization? It's not—"

She stops me with a slap in the face. I have to admit, it actually calmed me down.

"How dare you Sasuke…" her voice is barely a whisper. "Yes, I know I've kept a large part of my life from you two so I probably can't play this game but, _how dare you_?"

"I do know you Sasuke… I know that when you were a kid, your favorite toy was a stuffed T-rex. It was a hand-me-down from your brother, the person that you love the most… I know that when you're angry, you take a walk so you can cool yourself down— except when it's Naruto who's bothering you. Then you'd probably just have a fistfight with him." She stops to chuckle at that one.

"Most of all, _I know _that the one place you would rather be… is here. Because you have so many fond memories here; of you and Itachi, and of the three of us meeting here. That's why when Naruto said you were missing, I rushed here."

I don't think about her words too hard, I just let them sink in. My grip on her wrist loosens and suddenly, she's holding my hand.

"Yeah. That's why I went here too."

"See, you do know me Sasuke."

We stay that way for a while, with her hands holding mine and me, mesmerized by her once again happy eyes, much like they did on the day I first saw them.

* * *

"Hey… does your cheek still hurt?"

"… Shut up Sakura."

* * *

A/N:

Hey people. Here's to another installment!

I just wanted to say that it's hard to write Sasuke. Fun, but hard. It's like trying to walk the fine line between anti-social emo who barely talks and bitch who won't stop complaining… Oh I guess that's not much of a fine line, it's a wide lane. But his character keeps swerving left and right like a drunk driver. Hopefully, I've made him to be neither.

I gotta say though, I enjoyed this chapter!

What do you guys think? Too fast?

Anyway… I told you guys you'd make me happy if you left a review! Insert happy face. It's not that all that matters is how many reviews the story gets, but as a writer, it gives me a confidence boost knowing that there are people out there enjoying the story. Not to mention it really makes me eager to finish each chapter. Thanks guys.

sakura-chan-girl101: thanks for always leaving a review! Is this the chapter you were waiting for? Is it SasuSaku enough? I hope it is. Enjoy!

DarknessFlameWolf: hey there you! You left a review on each chapter! Thanks so much! I'm happy you're happy with this. Thumbs up. It's so flattering that you love my writing style, it really isn't for everybody, I think. And you just get what I want to do in every chapter, you're awesome! Yeah. I'm guessing ShikaIno is your favorite pairing? Let's keep our hopes up then. Insert eager face.

GlompInTheNight: here's the 8th installment!

Grapescotch: A HIMYM fan I see! Thanks for saying this is a great story, I hope you keep on enjoying it.

xCassiex: hello there! Don't worry, I'm never going to discontinue this fanfic, I'll march with it to the end.

tonimolyrockz: Isn't she just amazing? Here's more SasuSaku for you!


	9. A Bad Date

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Nine: A Bad Date

* * *

It's six in the morning and I slept all of… _zero_ hours. Not a wink.

As if I could, not after last night. I mean it's not exactly everyday that Uchiha Sasuke shouts in your face and bares his soul to you. And then _apologizes _for it after? … Well, actually he didn't but I'd like to think he wanted to.

I roll around under the blanket for a while, maybe if I find a particular position or maybe jam my face into a pillow? But no luck. Even if I close my (extremely) tired eyes, the whole night just replays in the back of my head; the shouting, the crying... the hand holding. Sigh. I have to remember to thank Naruto for this.

After we were both calm enough and there were no more words left to say, Sasuke and I went our separate ways; him to the Uchiha manor and me, here in my quarters in Nyx Base.

_Sasuke._

His name rolls off the tip of my tongue with a slight awkwardness. I can't even remember a time when he wasn't 'Sasuke-kun.' Without the suffix, he's _just Sasuke_…

Even though I practically mauled him last night, there were truths in what Sasuke said. He really doesn't know much about me— or at least, he doesn't know everything about me. Neither does Naruto. And that's kind of depressing since they're my two best and closest friends.

And in the ten years we've laughed, bickered, fought, and cried together, there are some obvious things I don't know about their life. Like _glaring, crater big_; I don't even know how I missed it. Spinning, red eyes and glowing, red miasma are hardly conspicuous.

I guess their joining Nyx has something positive to it after all, now we get to learn more about each other. But there'll be time for that like… like in _today's tour around Nyx Base_!

I jump out of bed fast, my bare feet hitting the cold, wooden floor. Good grief, how can I be so distracted? Personally I'd like to blame Sasuke. Stupid Sasuke and his stupid feelings, his stupid warm hand in mine and his stupid dark eyes looking only at me…

Kami, wake up Sakura!

Like a schoolgirl, I'm giggling the whole time it took for me to get ready, right until I close the bathroom door.

I hate to jinx it, but I think I'm going to have a lot of fun today…

* * *

"We said we'd meet at eight, right?"

"Yep."

"And it's already half past nine…"

"Boy, you're really on a roll there captain obvious."

I just_ had_ to jinx this day. Sasuke and I have been waiting for Naruto and Ino for more than an hour now, I'd expect this from Naruto but I would've thought Ino would jump at any chance to be with her 'precious Sasuke-kun.'

Surprisingly, I'm not even mad.

It's a great day to be outside! Yoyogi Park, even during a weekend, is beautiful. Sure, there are a lot of people, a lot of families, cyclists and joggers, and (weirdly enough) rockabillies, but once you find a spot for yourself like Sasuke and I have, the park can be a pretty relaxing place.

"_Captain Obvious_?" Sasuke hops on top of a picnic table and sits. He looks at me with an eyebrow raised and a smirk in place. "Wow, real original, you General Nuisance."

I gasp in mock anger. "Well, at least I outrank you."

I've got to say, I'm enjoying this light and easy banter. Not that Sasuke and I didn't do this before, but it feels like something has shifted. We're both a little less… guarded.

I take this time to appreciate how calm Sasuke is. His eyes are closed and, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was asleep. Even the way he's dressed, casual in a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of denim pants, makes it seem like he's just out for a walk.

Lazily, I sit next to Sasuke. We're under a towering gingko tree, with leaves that has yet to turn into gold. I sit there with my face turned towards the sun, enjoying its warmth, as a cool breeze ruffles my hair. Next thing I know, I'm lying on the table with my arms acting as a pillow for my head.

I can't help it; days like these just really make me sleepy. Blame Shikamaru for that habit.

"I know you don't want us here." I don't open my eyes or say anything, I just let Sasuke finish. "You don't want us to join Nyx."

"Honestly Sasuke, I'm a bit conflicted. It's not easy or safe, and there's absolutely nothing consistent for us to stand on." I get up halfway, with my elbows supporting my weight. "But I really believe we're needed here… Of course you still don't fully know what we do in Nyx, so I'm going to have to give you three a history lesson later on—"

"Sakura."

"Right. Sorry… Uh, why don't we just see where things go from here?"

Sasuke lets out a snort. "That sounds like something you say after a bad date."

"Naruto and Ino better get here soon then, before_ this_ date becomes stale." Oh if I could only be so lucky that this was a date.

Then a question pops into my head, one I should've asked a week ago. "Hey Sasuke… why did you decide to join Nyx?"

I can see that I've touched on a delicate subject when Sasuke doesn't say anything immediately. The way he's staring ahead, it seems like he's debating with himself over something. "Wait for the dobe. I have to tell you two something."

It's only a few minutes more when we see the two blondes. Apparently Naruto woke up late (shocker) and Ino, well she had to escape from her weekly flower arrangement classes. "What, I can't help it if I have class and you don't Forehead."

"Hey! Sakura-chan is the classiest girl I know!" Naruto, bless him, pipes up in my defense.

"Well you must not know a lot of girls then idiot."

I don't believe these two, it's like they have to argue the minute one of them says something. This really isn't helping any stereotype against blondes. Before I can break them up, Sasuke does it himself, by pulling himself from the table and walking away from all of us.

After a few feet, he turns back to us and, to me, he gestures with his arm, "Lead the way General Nuisance."

I ignore the confusion posted clearly on Naruto and Ino's face, I just leave. Hey, if an Uchiha comes-a-callin', you come. "It would be my pleasure Captain Obvious."

* * *

We take the nearest port to base which, believe it or not, is Meiji Shrine. Along with Yoyogi Park, it makes up a large forested area. Thankfully, there aren't too many people today.

"Hey Sakura-chan, why didn't we go to the Shibuya entrance?" Naruto times his pace with mine so we can walk side by side.

"I just wanted to show that there are a lot of ways to get into base. You know the two ports back in Shibuya, and now you know that there's one here. There are a lot more, I'll just give you a list later on."

When we pass the giant torii gate, it's like the rest of the city disappears. It's all evergreens and the sound of birds and bells and the wind passing through the trees.

"Then why choose this one? Or the one at Shibuya?" Ino asks from behind. "Shouldn't there be entrances near the Tokyo area?"

"Yes." I lead them past the inner courtyard and the shrine before I continue. "But I chose the one in Shibuya _because _it's far from Tokyo. Meaning there'd be less of a chance of you guys, or anyone from school, seeing me and questioning why I'm there."

I signal for them to stay quiet when we see the one-storey structure that is the Treasure House. Its oak paneling and the traditional red roof with its curved ends make a perfect example of symmetry. I don't lead them up the stairs; we go under it instead, through the stilts that support the museum. Just behind the stairs and hidden from view, I sweep away the dirt on the ground. And sure enough, there's a wooden trap door.

"Okay. Obviously not all entrances to the base are a part of the extensive underground network we have. I mean we can't exactly build across Japan. So, someone suggested the obvious but very cool solution of teleportation."

With a flourish of my hands, I open the heavy trap doors. Inside is an almost watery surface, tinged with an unnatural aquamarine color and a ripple that started in the middle every few seconds. It shone with a weak light, just enough that no one from outside could see it.

"This isn't a pool is it Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke kneels down and, with ever inquisitive eyes, dips his hand. It comes back dry but coated with a slight shine, almost like gossamer, that fades away in a second. "Nope. _This_ is a portal Naruto."

"I'm gonna level with you guys; I don't really know the technicalities of how this works. You go in, you go out; that's basically it. When you go in here, you come out of a larger portal in Nyx base. We call it the portal room, and well, why don't we go and see first?"

Naruto goes first, yelling cowabunga. Then Sasuke, who does it like he's done it a dozen of times. After him, Ino goes in, with a grace to her movements I can't help but envy. I go in last so I can secure the doors.

I emerge from the other end, to a dark room bathed in the glowing blue light of different portals. "The portal room is simply, a room full of portals. There are five others aside from the one we came out off as you can see," I point to the two wall portals on our left and right and the one on the far end of the room, "but we could have as easily come out of any of these."

"You can control each one and where you end up?" Sasuke stands beside one of the wall portals, his hands in his pocket, the very image of nonchalance. Is there really nothing that can faze him?

"Yeah. And like a light, you can turn it on or off, that way even if someone stumbles across one of these, all they'll see is an empty hole or an empty room. Izumo and Kotetsu, the gate keepers, are the ones who connect the portals and operate all of the other entrances. They're in another room."

Naruto lets out a low whistle. "Wow Sakura-chan, I can't believe you've been hiding all of these from us for years. You live like a frickin' super spy!"

I put an arm over Naruto's shoulders and laugh. "Yeah, I guess I am!"

* * *

After the portal, the rest of the tour is relatively standard stuff. I showed them the offices, training areas, and the combat arenas for the annual tournaments. Now _that_ was really something, too bad it's not for a month. Hey, maybe Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino would be good to go by then.

I look back to the three of them, already talking about strategies or, in Naruto's case, boasting about how he's going to crush the competition. I feel my stomach fall; this is something I never thought I'd see, something I _never _wanted to happen. A part of me keeps hoping that they'll back out or something, figure out that maybe there's more to this game of spies and superpowers. But since they haven't… well, better make the best of it.

"Sakura-chaaaan! I don't suppose you have a cafeteria here do you?" Naruto bounds to me and, as if on cue, his stomach growls. Classic Naruto.

"Of course we do! But let's make one more stop. I want to show you the weapons room before she leaves."

"Before who leaves?"

The weapons room is exactly as it sounds, a room full of weapons and a testing area. There's only one person who loves this enough to actually come in day-in and day-out to take care of each weapon. And I'm hoping she's still there.

I open the door to the weapons room and shout, "Tenten!"

We hear someone call for us from behind the sword rack.

"Shit, that's a lot of swords!" Before Naruto can touch one of them, someone swats his hand away.

"_No_ touching. Not until you've had some training anyway." Tenten, a great case for contrast, has always been protective of the weapons here. She's a tall, athletic girl, and it's always been an interesting sight for me to hear that girly voice come from someone with her build. Not that Tenten isn't a lovely girl; she's got that whole brunette bombshell going on.

"Hey, it's you!" Ino points a perfectly manicured index finger at Tenten's face. "You're the girl I switched bodies with right?"

"Oh yeah! Hey, great job on the test!" She puts a hand on Ino's shoulder, kunai on the other hand, and says with a smile "Don't ever do that to me again, okay?"

I snicker at Ino's slightly terrified expression. "Err… sure."

"Guys, this is Tenten. I don't suppose you've noticed her around school? She's a year older than us." At their blank expressions, I can tell that they haven't. "Anyway, she's head custodian of the weapons room. We call her the 'Iron Lady' because she's a master in every weapon you see here."

"Eh? Why do you need weapons when you have superpowers?" Naruto asks, again inching towards the swords. Oh, Naruto.

Instead of responding, Tenten takes one of the swords and charges at Naruto. He barely has time to get away and crashes against one of the padded training dummies.

"Oww…"

"You can't rely on whatever power or technique you have all the time. It's going to take a toll on you. So, learning a weapon or two is an advantage you take out on the field."

Tenten gives me a hug after she put the sword back. "I'd love to chat with you guys more but my team and I have a mission. But you really should come by sometime, pick a weapon and I'll personally teach you. Bye!"

As I promised, I take the three of them to the mess hall. It's about lunch time anyway and Naruto, being Naruto, his stomach growled all the way there.

"Oh yeah! I smell bacon!" In no time at all, Naruto finds a tray and the window to the kitchen. "Hey lady, you got some ramen here?"

He really can be such a dog sometimes. Ino and I laugh at Naruto's antics, until we hear a scream and the sound of plates crashing to the ground that is. This isn't actually an uncommon thing to happen here in the mess hall, especially when _she's _around.

I rush inside the kitchen, Naruto in tow, to help the girl with the long black hair up. "You've got to be more careful Hinata-chan."

"Th-thank you S-Sakura-chan. I was just s-surprised is all."

"Oh man, I'm so sorry." Naruto helps Hinata pick up the dishes, not noticing the way her cheeks were burning red.

Hyuuga Hinata really is a painfully shy girl, prone to fainting and a bit clumsy. Too bad because she's a classic beauty. A real Yamato Nadeshiko, startling white eyes, gentle mannerisms and all.

"Hinata-chan!" Ino ducks in to the kitchen as well. "You're here! I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

Ino-pig hugs Hinata like they're long-lost friends, and I'm confused as to where they could possibly know each other. When Ino mentions the word 'heir' I realize that Ino was a part of the life Hinata had before she came to Nyx.

"Hyuuga Hinata… I thought she'd be here." Sasuke startles me, the way I didn't even notice him beside me. He's going to be a good agent, that's for sure. "I did some research on that prick, Hyuuga Neji. He followed after his cousin when her father disowned her and named her sister as the new heir."

I look at Hinata, caring and loving Hinata, and my blood boils at the thought of a father who would banish a child for those qualities. As if sensing my mood, Sasuke puts a hand on top of my head. "Calm down. It's just the way it is with families like… ours. Power and strength are what matter most."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, it's supposed to make you realize that there's nothing you can do about it."

In the end, I know Sasuke is right. Sigh. But I refuse to believe that it can't be changed.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto calls from the mess hall, already seated with a spoon and fork on his hands, "Hinata-chan is going to cook us some ramen!"

"Hai! Coming!"

When the four of us are seated, I formally introduce Hinata. Along with the white eyes, or the Byakugan, she has the same abilities as Neji. She helps in the infirmary from time to time but mostly, she can be found here in the mess hall. Being one of the few people here who can cook, she really is a blessing.

"I thought you were going to give us a history lesson on Regiment Nyx," Sasuke asks when Hinata came back with the ramen. I'm surprised that he remembered, much more that he wants one.

"Actually, I'm not sure I'm the right person for that. All I can tell you is what Sarutobi-sama said. Regiment Nyx is one of the two sub-groups within ANBU. We find others who are like us— and trust me when I say that there more. Can you imagine what they may be going through, unaware of what they are?"

"What's the other group?" Naruto asks with a mouth full of ramen. "You said Nyx was just one of two sub-groups."

"The other is Regiment Erebus…" even among us in Nyx, Regiment Erebus is the stuff of nightmares. There are others from Nyx who get drafted there, and nothing is ever the same for them. There's a rumor that more often than not, transfers are forcibly made.

"You really can't expect the government not to take advantage of people with incredible abilities. Let's just say that Regiment Erebus is the government's guard dog."

"_Nyx… Erebus. _They sound Greek to me."

"They _are _Greek Naruto," Ino explains. "Nyx is the Greek word for 'night' and Erebus is—"

"The place where death dwells." We all look at Sasuke. I feel the hair on the back of my neck rise. Coming from Sasuke, I can really believe that being in Regiment Erebus is the same as entering hell.

"Thanks teme, there goes my appetite."

I push the bowl of ramen away. "Yeah, me too."

Sasuke just rolls his eyes at us and it feels like nothing's changed. Just same old Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, except now we have Ino hanging on to Sasuke's arms.

"Alright, why don't we finish this tour? I still have a history paper to make."

* * *

Last on the tour was the Intel office. I'm not here often, except when I'm dragging Shikamaru to work. Normally, the whole floor is quiet place except for the beeping and whirring of the giant computers. This is how Nyx agents find and keep track of possible recruits.

But today, there's something different.

Agents not from Intel seem to be combing the place with metal detectors. In the middle of a bespectacled crowd is a familiar pineapple head.

"Nara. What's happening here?"

One look and I know that there's a serious problem. Lazy Nara Shikamaru, out of his room and an intent look on his face. He signals for the four of us to follow him, and we do, to an adjacent room filled with at least a dozen computer monitors.

"Shika… what happened here?"

He sits on one of the leather chairs, eyes closed and frown in place.

"… The Nyx Moirae is gone."

* * *

A/N:

Bummer, this is such a long chapter. I've got to keep it shorter next time, now I'm wondering if I'm taking this way too slow now… A little intrigue here, what _is _the 'Nyx Moirae'? Any guesses? And a bit more on Neji and Hinata's story later.

Anyway, don't just read and fave/follow. Don't be lame. Be awesome instead! And leave a review!

**sakura-chan-girl101:** hey there! Thanks for being a consistent reader and reviewer! Don't be shy about sharing your inputs dear.

**DarknessFlameWolf**: is that so? I guess you're happy now that Hinata's here? Insert happy, knowing face. Thanks for the glowing review! And about the funny one-liners, I don't really think I'm a funny person. So that is indeed a huge compliment. Thank you!

**tonimolyrockz:** dude! Thanks for reviewing like a motherfucker! No really, I appreciate it. Don't worry, there'll be more SasuSaku soon. As well as other pairings. But I really want to develop their characters too.

**xCassiex:** heeeeey. Yes dear, you really should create an account. PM me when you do!


	10. Here Now

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Ten: Here Now

* * *

_Gone. _

The Nyx Moirae is gone.

I clench and unclench my hands, feeling it go sweaty as time goes on. Even when the air conditioning here feels like it's already a degree below freezing.

I watch the people outside; they're still hopeful that maybe it _has_ just been misplaced somewhere. But I doubt it.

Because someone stealing the Moirae is just the second most shocking event of the day.

It's the fact that someone actually got in and out of Nyx without notice that's making me shake.

And if someone has indeed taken the trouble of by-passing our security, then I highly doubt that the Moirae is still in the building.

I shake my head. This is enough; I'm going back to where I left Shikamaru and the others. Out of everyone here, he must be beating himself up the most. The Moirae was his responsibility, only _he _knew its location.

When I get there, Shikamaru is still replaying the videos over and over again. These are probably the only clue we're ever going to get about what happened. He looks at Sasuke, expectant, "Hey, I don't suppose your Sharingan will work on videos or on a screen?"

Sasuke steps forward to the monitors. "You want to know where he left it."

"_He_?" There's already a he? "You know who did this Nara?"

Shikamaru points his remote on another screen. The interrogation room is empty except for the man— no, boy who looks about our age, with his _legs_ chained to chair he's sitting on. "His legs are bound to the chair to stop him from going anywhere, 'cause damn he runs _fast. _But the Moirae wasn't with him. We've got nothing on him except his name actually… Morino Idate."

"M-Morino?" I can hear my voice rising. "You don't think he's related to Morino Ibiki do you?"

Morino Ibiki, for a lack of better words, is a monster_. _If you want someone or something gone, if you want information out of even your enemy's _mother_, then he's the man you need. He's one of Regiment Erebus' most infamous creations, he tortures like it's a game of chess. Just a series of well-executed maneuvers.

"If he is, then Ibiki will destroy him…" He turns to Sasuke again. "So, can you do it Uchiha?"

I've always wondered at what the Sharingan can do. See through your enemy's movements, dissect every second like it were minutes long, what Shikamaru's asking for may not be too much.

"Play it again."

It's still amazing, the moment when Sasuke's eyes bleed red. It's terrifying, like they could be an _oni's _eyes, but at the same time they're quite the novelty. It's a deadly beauty.

Since I haven't seen the videos yet, I sit in between Ino and Naruto. They're both quiet and I wonder if they could actually sense the gravity of the situation, even if they are still new recruits.

The videos show every major corridor in the base, starting from here in the Intel Office. Saying that Idate was fast is an understatement; it took all of five min! From coming out of the office to getting caught in the Shibuya entrance, all I could see was a blur.

"Pause it… there!" Sasuke points to the corridor near the Portal Room. "The door to the Portal Room opens and closes for a split second."

"Shit teme, you actually noticed that?" Naruto, pumped, joins Sasuke. Ino stays with me, still quiet and in deep thought.

"You don't have any idea how he got in do you?" Ino asks Shikamaru. "I mean you see him coming out of here, but nothing on how he got _in_ in the first place?"

He regards her for a second, as if surprised with the question (or that the question came from _her_) then shakes his head. "This is seriously all the footage we have of him. And he won't say where the Moirae is or why he took it—"

"What the hell is the Moirae anyway?" Naruto butts in. I'm surprised he's held out so long without asking.

Shikamaru sighs and sits, finally. "The Nyx Moirae is an electronic chip holding special— not to mention classified, information. It's divided into three parts: _Clotho,_ a list of possible recruits, _Lachesis, _a list of agents and their up-to-date status, and then _Atropos, _a list of… deceased Nyx agents. They all fit together like a puzzle, one can't work without the other two."

"I can't begin to stress how much secrecy is a way of life here in Nyx," I add, mostly to Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino. "Families, friends, they can't know— for their own protection. And it might seem like I don't know how huge that is; I don't _have _a family… But just imagine all that information getting into the wrong hands."

"Silly Sakura-chan." Naruto takes my hand into his. More hand holding for me apparently. "Sasuke-teme and I are family… And Ino and pineapple head here can join in too if they want, but I have to be the head of the family!"

I stare at Naruto. They're my bestfriends, but I never thought they'd offer to be my _family. _ Even Sasuke looks at me with a smirk (I assume it's because that's the nearest thing to a smile he can make). It just makes me incredulously happy, like getting a gift I never even knew I wanted.

Before I can turn into a pile of gibberish-spouting mush, I call Naruto an idiot and punch him on the shoulder. Hey, he knows what I mean.

"Alright! We still have a chip to find people."

* * *

Good cop. Bad cop.

This is a game I never thought I'd play, least of all with Sakura.

So far, all we know is that when he entered the Portal Room, he dropped the chip into one of the open portals. Akihabara, according to the two gatekeepers.

But why?

And because we're not going to fly into this fucking blind, we're squeezing more information out of Morino. Ergo, this 'good cop, bad cop' show.

We enter the interrogation room and I swear, for a second, the asshole's face just lights up when he sees us. Kami, I want to smash his face on the table. He's already underestimating us, fine. That means he's not going to expect anything.

Game. Set.

Sakura takes a seat on the chair in front of Morino, legs crossed and smile as bright as a fucking thousand watt bulb. I settle for the table, so I have a closer access to the guy's neck.

Morino's already starting the waterworks before Sakura can say anything. "Miss, you have to believe me, I had _no_ idea that the chip was so important! I'm just a hired thief, you see. There are two other kids who rely on me…"

He grabs Sakura's hands and appeals to her 'better nature'. "You must understand miss, pretty young thing like you. And I know most kids here don't have parents so you should know how it feels having to fend for yourself."

Match.

"Oh, I do know _Morino-san,_" Sakura, for her part, plays the part of the soft-hearted and naïve agent expertly, "That's why as an orphan myself, I want to tell you how lucky _you _are to still have a _big brother._"

The color drains from Morino's face considerably. He recoils as if hit but Sakura latches onto his hands. "Oh yes, having Ibiki-san as a big brother must give you_ such_ comfort. I mean the man's a powerhouse all on his own… How is he doing Idate-san?"

"I— I have no— _what the hell are you talking about_?"

Well shit. I don't even know why I'm here. Looks like Sakura can handle this by herself. The bastard's already walked right into her hands.

But since I'm here, might as well have my fun.

"Shut it. We know who you are. Everyone here does." I pause to watch him squirm, and damn is it satisfying. "Imagine what would happen if dear old brother were to find out."

It looks like he's about to have an apoplectic fit and become catatonic all at the same time. Sakura and I exchange glances; does she normally have to deal with idiots like this?

"Alright Idate-san, let me tell you our conditions. You tell us why you took the 'chip,' and where you sent it. If you do that, we can give you asylum from Ibiki-san. He doesn't have to know you're here… Fail to comply, and my friend here," she gestures towards me, the cue for me to open my Sharingan, "will make you _wish _we had given you to your brother instead."

He looks up at me like I'm some kind of demon. This is what I've been reduced to: a boogeyman. Sigh. "Start talking. And I'll know if you're lying."

* * *

Trying to find an electronic chip in a place dubbed the "Electric Town" of the country is like finding a fucking needle in an otaku-infested haystack. Interrogating Morino didn't really give us anything, just that he double-crossed the guy who hired him in the first place and sent the chip to Akihabara a friend of his, an Aoi Rokusho, would find.

But really, if there was anywhere he would sell it to, it'd be to the Wagarashi.

It's not long before we're standing across the street from the Crossfield, a skyscraper that's all steel and glass against a vast expanse of sky. It's the largest IT center in the country and it's owned by the Wagarashi Family, a bunch of greedy jackassess who'll shove their flashy lifestyle in your face every chance they can get.

But what use would they have for the Nyx Moirae?

I look at the dobe beside me. He's changed out of the gaudy orange shirt he was wearing and into a basic black shirt. He looks at the building and grins, delighting in the challenge no doubt.

I don't change, except for putting on a coat. Staying low-key_ is_ the point. They have to force me to wear a pair of shades though. As an Uchiha, I'm too easily recognizable here.

"Hey teme… Why do you think she never told us about this?" Naruto's voice is soft, and it makes me glance at him in my peripheral vision.

"She already said why dobe. Secrecy is their way of life." And it's not like we would have believed her anyway. Sweet, naïve, little Sakura, a spy with freakish healing powers? Doubtful.

"But I mean, it's _us. _We all practically grew up together," Naruto whines and he faces me completely. "You two are as much my family as Iruka is. She didn't have to face this alone."

I shrug. Even after my talk with Sakura the other night, I never asked her about the details. Of her childhood, of her life in Nyx. As long as she was who she said she was when it came to me and the dobe, then what else mattered? "Well, we're here now aren't we?"

He grins at me, content with my answer.

"Are you two about done with your bromance yet?" Sakura taunts me through the earpiece. She's already inside the building, scouting for a way into the heavily guarded restricted sections.

Tch. I'm still having trouble reconciling this Sakura who can sneak around in the shadows and the crybaby Sakura who wouldn't stop crying until I lent her my crayons… Actually, yeah. I _can _believe it. Manipulative bitch.

"Anyway, there's a back entrance on the east side of the building. I propped it open but you two better hurry up before anyone notices… Take care."

Sigh. I nod even though she can't see me.

"Yosh! You heard her teme. Let's go!"

* * *

Sometimes, men can be such pigs.

I walked right into the building in a little black dress and they start gawking. When I pretended to trip and sprain my ankle, they practically fall all over themselves just to bring me into the infirmary, which I know for a fact is located in their back office.

The minute they leave me alone, I'm already out the door and wandering the corridors. After that, it was all too easy to find the side entrance so Naruto and Sasuke can come in. The three of us coming in together would have seemed all too suspicious.

I can't believe I got in so fast. I tell myself that it's just the too-short dress or the make-up…

That or things really _are _too easy.

"_Spit it out. I know you want to say something." Shikamaru leans back on the wall, his eyes intent on me. It's just him, Ino and I in the room 'cause the two boys went off somewhere to change. _

"_Like Ino-pig said, we still don't know how he got in. He's not smart enough to breach the system. I'm guessing that whoever hired him helped him get in."_

"_They're obviously powerful. Why would he betray them like that?" Ino jumps in with her own questions, absentmindedly biting her thumb like she does when she's tense. "Just to sell it to the Wagarashi family who probably has no idea what it's for? It all feels like a trap …"_

_I nod. "Sasuke made sure that Morino Idate was telling the truth. Either he's very good at lying or he doesn't know what's happening either. Care to weigh in Nara?"_

_Shikamaru closes his eyes and creates a circle with his hands, his thinking pose. _

"_I have a feeling that whoever hired Idate is still pulling the strings. Whoever they are, they know about us and that means they're a threat. Be careful out there Haruno." He clears his throat as if changing topics. "I'd have sent a more experienced team, like Neji's, but coincidentally_ _they're already out on their own mission. Every other team is already booked. "_

_I read between the lines. This still faceless enemy may know the inner workings of Nyx._

"_Yamanaka." Shikamaru calls out to Ino, looking a little like he's pained to do so. "You mind staying back here at base? I might need your help later…"_

_Ino agrees readily, like she'd already decided it in her head. Judging from my new-found discovery of her analytical abilities, Ino may really be useful in Shikamaru's department. You know, if she ever got around to letting go of her phone that is._

"_Hey Forehead?" Ino calls out to me before I leave the room, "Try not to come back unconscious will you?"_

Damn it Ino-pig! It's considered bad luck to discuss how and when you come back before missions. And even though I should be at least peeved, I find myself smiling anyway. I missed that insufferable blonde.

Before I can dwell on it more, there's a sudden sharp pain in the back of my head and I drown in the darkness

* * *

A/N:

Hey there! I own nothing except the story itself.

Review guys. Insert eager face. Don't miss out on being able to interact with me (not that that's such a big deal) and to share your input. And I seriously want to get to know the people who read _my _story. I'm looking at you (figuratively?) people from the US, the Philippines, and all the others. Leave a review. Or PM me. Especially the Filipinos out there reading, _paramdam naman kayo guys_.

While we're at it, has anyone read chapter **690 **in the Naruto Manga? Laaaaaame.

And don't even get me started on the forums, especially the fandom and shipper centric ones. Trust me, it is not for the weak hearted. You'll pop a nerve at the sheer pig headedness of people in there. But it's the internet, and freedom of speech, and blah.

…I am never going into those again. Shudder.

What else… oh yeah, prompts! I'll be making some filler chapters soon. Give me prompts for SasuSaku. Thanks guys!


	11. Trust Me?

NYX EROS: Heart Strings

Chapter Eleven: Trust Me?

* * *

"Hey bastard," Naruto shifts beside me, nearly elbowing me in the fucking neck, "I'm feeling something weird inside."

Oh god. "Dobe, this is _not _the time to get confused about your sexuality."

"_What?!_" the dobe shoves me abruptly and I can feel the sharp edges of a shelf dig into my back. Asshole. "You're disgusting teme! You know what I mean."

"Whatever. Just try not to rape me."

Sigh. I have to admit, the idiot is right. Something _is_ wrong.

We got in the building through the propped door but no Sakura, just a small, orange stick-it note saying that she went on ahead to the top floor office. Nothing on why she went ahead and she won't answer calls either. Given her track record of disappearing on us, two times just this week, I don't really know what to make of it. Especially since both times turned out to be a fluke.

And even though Naruto and I had no fucking idea where the hell to go, I should've known better than to let the dobe lead.

Now we're stuck in this cramped janitor's closet on the top floor of the skyscraper's right tower, waiting for the guards outside to move so we can finally go out.

"Stop making so much noise idiot!" I hiss, because as much as I want to shout at him, there are shadows coming in from the crack under the door.

"Sasuke-teme, I have an idea."

I raise an eyebrow. I weigh the idea of its success and its more probable failure, because of course it _is _Naruto. "What?"

The dobe moves to the door and raises a finger to his mouth. He counts down from three and at the end, pushes against the door with all his strength, letting it hit whoever was outside.

In this case, two nameless, unconscious goons.

"Hurry teme, get them inside!"

* * *

"Ah damn…"

It doesn't take me long to figure out what happened when I finally regain consciousness. I got caught, plain and simple. Someone nearly bashed my head in and now… Now I'm sprawled on the cold, damp floor of a cell.

I lie here in the darkness for a few seconds, wondering what went wrong. Had I been detected? Or were they waiting for me? There's a large chance that they know about Naruto and Sasuke as well.

Slowly I get up, checking for other wounds at the same time. Aside from what I'm pretty sure is a bruise on my left cheek because it's hurting like hell, I'm fine. They took my earpiece and communicator though.

I examine the cell, and it's… unique, I'll give them that. I've never been locked up in a room with steel bars for a door, just like a medieval jail cell. It even looks like the type to be opened by a skeleton key. Kami, the Wagarashis really are pretentious.

But are they dangerous?

I can still remember Sasuke's country club stories about of the head of the Wagarashi clan, Kyuroku Wagarashi. Other than being extremely rude to the help and being sexist (read pig), a scheming supervillain he does not make. More of an arrogant prick really.

I walk around the empty room as I try to figure out what to do next. Whoever dropped me here didn't bother tying my hands or my legs. And as far as I can tell, there isn't even a guard in the vicinity.

Big. Mistake.

I approach the steel bars so I can grasp two with my hands and, with great concentration, bend the door open. My _monstrous _strength, as Shikamaru put it so elegantly, borrows from the same energy that I use to heal. Instead of fixing other people, it doubles my capacity and strength.

I chuckle at the thought of Naruto and Sasuke's expression if they could see me busting myself out of a jail cell like this!

Before I can wonder where those two could be, or where _I _could be— even before I can fully get out of the cell, a screeching alarm goes off and stops me in my steps.

My foot, as I now notice, is stepping on a red, laser-like wire. Of course.

I slap my palm to my forehead and groan, "Damn it Sakura, stop screwing up."

Wherever Naruto and Sasuke are, I hope they're doing better than I am.

* * *

"Admit it teme, this _is _a good idea."

I don't respond. I just put on the black Velcro vest and the gun holster to finish the disguise. In the back pocket of my pants is an ID card, in case we need to open the doors to restricted sections.

Che. As if I'd ever tell the dobe he was right about something.

The two guards the dobe knocked out earlier have already been stripped, gagged, and tied up back in the janitor's closet. I don't think anybody's going to find them anytime soon.

"We need to find Sakura first, before we try to find the Nyx Moirae," I tell Naruto as we walk along the corridors. We've passed office after office, all unused, which makes me wonder what the hell the Wagarashi family really does for a living. In fact, every floor we've passed before arriving on top had been empty.

"What if she got caught teme?"

"All the more reason to find her then. We should split up. You go back and take the first few floors and I'll—"

An alarm goes off, loud enough to give me a fucking migraine, before I can finish my instructions. Soon, the corridors echo with the harried footsteps of more guards, all approaching our direction.

"Shit, teme! They're already after us?"

At least five men, all built like they're in the fucking military, round the corner, running. I feel Naruto tensing beside me, but one look at their eyes— looking far ahead of us, makes me think we're still safe. For now.

"What are you two still standing there for?" the lanky guy in the middle, wearing what looks like weights on his legs, shouts at Naruto and me. "The wench has escaped! I knew I should have tied that bitch down!"

Naruto and I share a look at the mention of 'wench' and 'bitch' and immediately assume the guy means Sakura. He's trying to stop himself from punching the living daylights out of this guy, I know, but he just ends up looking constipated. The fact that he's not running his mouth is already an achievement.

"What the hell is wrong with this one?" the guy with the weights on his legs, who I finally recognize as Fukusuke Hiyakuya, the Wagarashis' head bodyguard, moves closer to Naruto.

"He just ate some expired ramen, again," I say immediately, before he can recognize we're not guards here.

Hiyakuya shrugs. "Whatever. Just find that bitch."

Naruto lets go of the breath he's been holding when the five leave. "_Fuck. _I really thought he was onto us. He's not the sharpest knife in the kitchen is he?"

Said the pot to the kettle, if that makes sense.

"Hn. We have to find Sakura before they do."

Naruto punches me lightly on the shoulder. "Betcha I can find her before you teme."

I smirk, yeah this probably isn't the best time for a bet but… "You wish dead last."

And we take off running in opposite directions.

* * *

If I remember how the building looked like from the outside, then I'm in the left tower. Well, _leaving _the left tower anyway. The view from the tinted windows assures me of that much. Outside the sun is all but gone and all that's left in its wake is a golden orange splashed at the bottom of the horizon.

Ahead of me, I can see the glass walkway that bridges the two towers together. And if I'm right, Wagarashi's office is just up ahead.

For a second, I wonder if I should find Naruto and Sasuke first. They weren't in any of the other cells next to mine. Would it be so hard to believe that they've managed to get in undetected? … Sigh. Unlike me, the _actual _and long-time Nyx operative. Boy, Shikamaru's never going to let me live this down.

I've avoided all the guards I've encountered since I left the jail cell. The ones that I couldn't, I had to knock out somehow. My strength is amazing for times like these really, if it wasn't so expendable. I can only use up so much energy in a day before it starts taking its toll on me.

Fatigue. Drowsiness. In worst case scenarios, my asthma comes back with a vengeance.

The glass walkway is exactly that, a rectangular box made of large glass panels held together by black steel frames. I approach it cautiously, because even if I'm not afraid of heights, paranoia is setting in. What if there's a trap door somewhere in the middle and they activate it as I'm walking through? Nope, I'm not falling twenty floors to my death thank you very much.

But we'll never find the Nyx Moirae if I stay here.

So I trudge on ahead— at least that was the plan if someone hadn't pulled me from behind.

_Seriously?_

My heart skips a beat, and I kick and scratch and elbow him— the man who pulled me. I would have screamed too but he had a hand covering my mouth, holding my head in place so I couldn't turn. Making me heady with his woodsy and musky scent, utterly masculine, almost like… like…

"Sakura. Stop being annoying."

Sasuke? "You're here? Where's Naruto?"

"Looking for you at the other tower, I bet." He's so close I can feel his chest rumble as he talks, his breath fanning the back of my neck.

"You two should stick together Sasuke!" I hiss at him. "What if something happens to him?"

He's rolling his eyes at me, I can tell even if I can't see. So I struggle against his hold again because I'm just so mad at how childish these two can be sometimes.

"Give the dobe a little credit Sakura. He can probably last until we need to rescue him."

Why isn't he letting me go? Sasuke has his arms wrapped around me still, pressed against his chest— not that I'm complaining. "Ne Sasuke… let me go?"

"No."

I still in Sasuke's arms, my cheeks surely burning pink. Is Sasuke ever aware of what he does to me? Unable to bear our silence anymore, but not wanting it to end at the same time, I softly ask him why.

"Hn. Do you trust me Sakura?"

* * *

Oh. Wow.

First off, I am _SO _sorry that I only posted this now. My thesis is really stressing me out. And I have to say, after not writing for almost two weeks, I've lost my touch. Took a while to get it back. I'm not making any promises on updating regularly again, but I WILL continue for sure.

To everyone who reviewed, for the hundredth time or for the first time… I am sincerely thankful for the support! I hope you keep on reading and sending me those reviews that make me smile!


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